Happy Day!

Four days after I was informed that I lost my job, I finally worked my last day, and left the building with my picture of Courtney as the last item. I am not saying this for dramatic effect, or to harp on the issue, but it is a powerful part of this story. I left the building with a lot of gratitude for my wonderful job at S1, and I was proud of the way I went out, with a lot of respect, hard work, and love. So when I arrived at home, I was not depressed, but I was emotionally tired. Also, I had evening activities the previous 4 days, so I was really ready to stay at home.

After dinner Courtney suddenly said, "Hey, let's go to Liberty Memorial, we can play bocce ball, and walk around." That spot in KC is our favorite place. But I eventually accepted to go only because she really wanted to.

So we drove there, and there was an event on the top of the Liberty Memorial, but there is still a long lawn. So we parked on the side, and climbed up the steep side hill and played bocce ball on the lawn. After that, Courtney had me sit down on the lawn and wait while she went and got me something out of the car to "cheer me up", about my recent job loss.

Then she came back up, and said "Dan come here". She had her hands behind her back, as if she was hiding something. So I was chasing her trying to find out what this gift was. She was standing on the edge of the hill. When I looked over the crest of the hill, I saw the most amazing message I will ever see.



It took my breath away and it was really mind blowing. We had been trying for a few months, and even though it was a short time, I had fears that maybe we wouldn't be able to get pregnant. I was taken completely by surprise. And then Courtney and I embraced, and it was an amazing moment.

Courtney had found out the previous day. She had always viewed this as her version of the engagement, that is, the amazing event that she got to plan and surprise me with! She did an amazing job!

Here are some more pictures we took:


Proud future parents!


Amazing view to complement the event!

Blogging

I would really love to blog more - not tired of it at all. But my life is in transition so much, that I can't really get to it. Plus, my daily commute takes 30 more minutes out of my day, 2.5 hours out of my week. Sounds insignificant, but sometimes I did blog in between when I got home, and when we ate dinner.

We are made to shine

God created us to shine. Sometimes I have, and sometimes I haven't. I believe we aren't supposed to shine on our own effort. But God has given us life, and we reflect him. Just be ourselves.


Daniel 12:3-4

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens,
and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.

Philippians 2:14-15

Do everything without complaining or arguing,
so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory,
are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Psalm 37:5-6

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

Trees

God says we are like trees...or in some cases, branches.

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches

Jer 17:7-8

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

Col 2:6-7 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him

Isaiah 61:3 They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

I have noticed the following things about trees that relate to our lives, and hopefully I've been helped by the Spirit:

• They/we are dependent on outside resources for our growth.
  
• By claiming to be self-sufficient, they/we wither and become useless
• Need to be rooted in a good location (not in shallow soil) - the soil in our life represents a good view of God, or rather an accurate view of how God views us.
• Even after death, can leave a legacy. When strong trees are cut down they can be used to build strong structures. When we are gone, we can leave a strong legacy.
• Trees/we start out small and weak but can become strong. You don't see us growing, but as the years pass, you notice that we've grown quite a bit.
• We give back by blessing the world - providing a place for shade/grace environments.
  

Any other Scriptures or insights that you have?

And to put my own intentions in positive light..not trying to earn anyone's approval here or make some sort of impact. This comes out of my own yearning to know what God really thinks of me. I believe that God showed me that we are like trees. It makes sense. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

Best of October 2009

I'm excited that we are once again approaching The Best of the Year post!

Pic of the month: In absence of a good October pic, I am posting a now declassified picture from the day in August when Courtney told me she was pregnant

Best Movie That I Saw for the First Time: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Best Book I Read: didn't read any. Has a lot to do with having a new job, and also because I got into this big heavy philosophy book from my dad's college class in 1965. I also took on a couple of other activities. I may also have to foray into baby books.

Best online video I watched for the First time: James May from Top Gear rides in a U-2 spy plane

Making its Lostlifefound debut...Baby Gras

On August 28th, Courtney told me she was pregnant, in a very creative way. More on that later.

It's worth mentioning that on August 24th, 4 days earlier, I was informed by the owner of my company that "we have to make some changes to keep the company afloat and these changes are going to affect you". After a minute or so, I realized that "affecting me" meant that I was being let go along with four other people. I finished out the week, transitioning my knowledge, and August 28th was my last day. I just wanted to sit at home. But Courtney REALLY wanted to go to the Liberty Memorial, where we have gone before to relax. Anyway, more on that later.

Right now I am emptying the guest bed room of stuff, since it will be a baby room. Here are the guests we have had in the room:

1. B.J. Anderson - Aug 15th, 2006
   
2. B.J. Anderson - May 19th, 2007
3. Brandi Knouse - October 6th, 2007
4. Hayley and Arlen Redden - March 22, 2008
5. Hayley and Arlen Redden -April 26, 2008
6. Suzette Runyan - June 29th, 2008
7. Alan Boyles - October 5, 2008
8. Cara Gentry - Jan 25, 2009
9. B.J. AND Natosha Anderson - April 14, 2009
10. Dale Lusk - May 15, 2009
11. Emily AND Alan Boyles - October 23, 2009

B.J. is the winner! This blog will now show up on Google searches of your names, sorry!

The Beej after his 2nd stay

Anyway, I may start a new blog for baby stuff, and keep this as it is. But I'm not sure yet.

Due date is May 7. The mother is tired often, but not too sick.

How we told Courtney's parents

Movie Review: On Golden Pond (1981)

Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, and Katharine Hepburn appear in this Hallmark-y movie about old couple at a summer home at a lake, and it's especially about the old man who is grouchy and thinking about death all the time. And he has a strained relationship with his daughter, who comes to visit with her boyfriend (Bill), and the boyfriend's 13 year old son (Billy).

Then there's the mailman, who delivers mail by boat. And those are all the six characters in the movie.

The old man is a depressing character, but we come to find out that he is very sharp and funny. The daughter and boyfriend go off to Europe and leave the boy at the lake. The boy is not happy to be there initially, but the old man becomes like a father to him (overcoming the grouchiness).

The old man does old guy stuff like almost set the house on fire, and gets lost, and then he gets ashamed and afraid. Then the old man and boy have a boat accident, and that apparently knocks something loose, because the daughter comes back, and then the old man is better, and it ends happily. Then the old man almost dies, but then lives. Whew! I hope you didn't want to know the plot.

It was kind of a neat movie. I'm glad we watched it. It's not like really exciting or anything. It was based on a play.

The part of the old man is acted by Henry Fonda, who was the star of 12 Angry Men, so I appreciated watching this one. Also I have obviously heard of Jane Fonda, but have never seen her in a movie before. And Katharine Hepburn is apparently a well known actress, but I didn't know much about her before.

Restaurant Review: Kokopelli's Mexican

When we told the hostess we were 6 people and 2 kids, she seemed really stressed about it, and treated us like we were a nuisance. The place was really busy for a Monday, and there were a few other large groups, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it. It's pretty amazing how often people eat out, you know?

I think I had flautas again. Thank God for flautas. I think it's a misconception that Mexican food is good for the wheat allergy, because most places only have about 2 entrees with corn. And one of them is flautas. Pretty much, I could ask them to substitute a corn tortilla on any entree, but I can't tell the difference easily, and they could forget. That is why I don't do that.

The chips were not that crisp. But our friends did say that it was one of their favorite places. I actually went there straight from work, my 2nd week at my new job. So that was almost 3 weeks ago!