27 March 2009

Pleeeaase Golf!

_DSC5557

Seriously, how can you say no to this face?

Tee Off Against Trafficking is coming up Saturday, April 25th. Only a month away, and the early bird price of $150/player expires this Sunday! After Sunday, the price goes up to $200, so register NOW online.

In case you have no idea what I’m talking about… I’m part of a group called Eastside Women of Purpose. We are advocates for women and children who are oppressed. This golf tournament is raising funds to prevent human trafficking. We are working toward prevention because here is the problem…

Men drive into villages in Southeast Asia where children play by the road. They lie to the children (AND parents) and get them to come with them, promising they’d be enrolled in school or given a good job. Sometimes, the parents even PAY them to take their child to a good school. Then they take them to the brothels, and sell them. Yeah…not good. So, we are doing something about it, because it is ridiculously WRONG!

We are funding programs that teach these children and parents in the villages about this problem. They are taught how to recognize a perpetrator and what to do about it. This training has already been effective in saving children from this fate.

You can help by golfing or sponsoring our event. Check the website for more details.

www.TeeOffAgainstTrafficking.com

20 March 2009

Mercury’s Coffee Co.…I love you!

So…my friend, Megan, told me about Mercury’s a long time ago. Supposedly, their coffee was the BEST. The difficulty was that their locations weren’t super convenient for me. The drive-thru closest to me was the opposite direction from the direction I typically travel, and the one I drove by nearly every day was a walk-in only and I didn’t want the hassle of getting out of the car with my two little guys in tow AND hot coffee.

So, time went by and finally one day I stopped in. It was one of those GLORIOUS days when the kids were at the grandparents house and I had time to myself. I ordered a decaf americano, since I’m trying to reduce the money I spend on coffee these days. She asked if I wanted cream, and I thought, oh how nice, and said “Yeah, that’d be great.” Well…I got back to my car with my hot coffee and it was frothy. My americano with cream was FROTHY??? Why??? How??? What crazy world am I in????? Could she have?….NO…did she?…..OH MY GOSH she DID! She STEAMED the half & half. Not kidding. Steamed it! I took a sip and it was like the heavens opened up and the angels were gathered all around my piping hot frothy beverage singing “haaaaaallelujah”! The fact that she went to the trouble to steam the half & half totally blew me away. I felt so special. And yes, my excitement could have been based partially on the fact that I was without kids, (which pretty much means I danced out of the car like a little fairy, since I was responsible for ONLY myself. I may have been singing a little too), but it was still darned good coffee.

So, next time, I went to the drive-thru instead. Mostly to test this whole steaming thing cause I still really didn’t believe it. Sure enough, she steamed it and actually asked me if I wanted the half & half steamed (like, I guess, some CRAZY people prefer NOT to have it steamed??? What’s wrong with them?). What’s even crazier is that when I said “yes, please” she was SO happy to do it. There was no underlying “geez, this is some high-maintenance crazy lady wanting me to steam her precious half & half.” No. I could actually see the twinkle in her eye as she did it. Like when your Grandma makes you cookies from scratch. It’s a beautiful beautiful thing.

I know I am slightly deranged for being so excited about this, but you NEED to try it. They also give you a free chocolate covered coffee bean, and their espresso beans are shade grown, Fair-Trade, and organic, not to mention incredibly good. So, the walk-in location is in Redmond, across from Whole Foods, and there are drive-thru locations in Woodinville, Fall City, and Redmond by the Albertson’s off of 202. And if you don’t live on the Eastside. Sorry…you are seriously missing out.

13 March 2009

Grass and God

_DSC5849

Warning: Highly Christian post containing extremely spiritual content.

So, I was driving this morning with my Zune on shuffle and this Nichole Nordeman song came on, called “My Offering”. I’ve heard this song before and to be honest, it wasn’t one of my favorites, but today it struck me, in a major way. Here is the first verse:

If You made me like the grass that is green
Growing tall and covering the hills above me
Maybe I would pray for sunshine and a little rain
To fall now and then to make me lovely
I could be a place where sheep could graze
Or barefoot feet could play
And I would grow and grow and hope
You'd bend down low
To hear me sing my offering

It’s the last few lines that made me bawl…

And I would grow and grow and hope
You'd bend down low
To hear me sing my offering

This is why I was crying… The idea that the God of the universe, in charge of all things, great and small, would bend down low for ME! That Jesus DIED on the cross for ME! What on Earth!!! I’m stunned and amazed and overwhelmed. I sung the rest of the song in complete and utter PRAISE over his amazing love for us.

(Chorus)
Open up the heavens, open up the sky
All of Your creation wants to testify
I have a song, so let the earth sing along
'Cause I just want to praise You

I love praise and worship! LOVE it. Unfortunately I don’t realize what God can do through it every time. Sometimes I’m just singing the words. But today, it was amazing and I felt God’s Spirit fill me.

For you non-Christians out there….let me describe what it’s like to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I’m not a poet and not very good with analogies, AT ALL, so bear with me. It’s like if you were a ding-dong and the cream was emptied…ok, no…that doesn’t work. (that’s pretty gross and a little sexual…heh) Ummmmm….it’s like if you puked and then ate something…..UGGGHHH…this is tough. Ok….I got it, it’s like if you were a balloon filled with regular air, then you were deflated and filled with helium that lifted you to the sky. woo hoo….look I’m a poet! I am totally addicted to helium!! haha. To be fully emptied of ourselves and filled again with the Holy Spirit like a river pouring into you like a waterfall. I’m not kidding people, a WATERFALL! Soooo awesome! And He lifts you higher than you could ever imagine. I’m am soooo floating right now.

Oh…and this is how the song ends.

And the sun every morning cannot wait to shine
And the stars every evening are all standing by
to light the sky
Give the rocks and the stones voices of their own
If we forget to sing praises to our King

So, that’s how my morning went. Let’s see how the rest of the day goes. heh.

NOTE: That is Ollie in the picture. hehe. Isn’t he the cutest little button?

08 March 2009

Noah and the BANANA

_DSC3852

Joe’s mom (the boys call her Amah) sent this story to us after they babysat the boys this week. I love it.

“While in Vancouver, I saw this cute pastry shaped like a banana, and it has big lettering: BANANA on it.  I bought a box of two for Noah and Ollie.

To let Noah practice his alphabet, I said, "Noah, what does it say?"

Noah ran his pointer through the letters, and read without hesitation, "not a hot dog".”

(Joe took this picture by the way. Pretty great, huh?)