baptisms + birthday + baby + blossom run

I love a good alliteration. And Ooooh April has been great so far!
Let me share some great highlights going on with the Waltzes..

+ baptisms.

At our church there are baptisms monthly and we always watch, support and cheer for those who take the plunge in the water (totally and completely under water) to get baptized and being a faithful journey with Jesus. We had both been baptized previously (Travis got a sprinkle on his head and I was baptized as a baby). But, we both had gone on different paths away from God (as teens and in early 20's). However, in the last few years we have really grown in our faiths individually and wanted to do this together. On Palm Sunday (April 1st) T and I were baptized at church and felt SO much support from our friends and family in doing this and we are so happy we did this. I am proud of us and also excited to see what adventures God has in store for our futures and am so blessed to be able to do this alongside a man who is after God's heart as well. (photos to come soon!!)

Easter Sunday at church. :)

+ birthday.

I will be 27 on April 15th. I have a feeling that 27 will have a few twists and challenges for myself. The year of being 26 I got promoted at work, moved to a new place with Trav, become part of an amazing community at church and started my trek to communicate more about my anxiety (more of which I need to just hit "publish" and will be able to let you in on how I am doing on this challenge in my life). I love birthdays and this one will be definitely different. I'm spending it with my in-laws! :)  We will be heading down to Medford, Oregon tomorrow morning and return on Monday. I'm looking forward to spending time with all the Waltzes and the sunny weather that is expected there too! I am trying to compile a list of 28 things I want to do before I turn 28.. if you have any suggestions I'm all ears.. or eyes since it'd be through comments ;)

+ baby.

with Carmen + Emmanuel

Well I'm going to be an Aunt again! Teehee - did you think I was having a baby?? Sorry to disappoint.. but not yet. But who knows when we will be blessed to have a family of our own.. ;)  Travis' brother and his wife are expecting little Connor to arrive any day! How exciting! Obviously we are hoping he will make his debut when we are in Medford. :)  I love being an aunt. It is so fun to spend time with Emmanuel, Carmen, Leandra and soon to be Connor. I have great memories with my Aunt Kea and I look forward to creating some fun and lasting ones with my nieces and nephews.

getting our nails all pretty with my niece Leandra. :)

+ (Pear) Blossom Run

I'm running in my first 5K on Saturday the 14th. Part of my birthday resolutions involves my health. Some may not know but I was tempted in college to switch my major to Health Education (but I decided to just minor in it..). I love learning about health, how the body works, healing, nutrition, etc. Back to the run.. I'm a little bit nervous because I'm more of a jog and walk kind of girl and there will be runners doing all types of different races. I really wanted to do a run this year to kick my exercise routines in high gear and try something new. I won't be running alone though - I'm running with my sis-in-law Stephanie. She's a great support and partner in this (she runs daily) and has been cheering me on as the run gets closer. So wish us luck and hope that I don't pass out. And yes I'm totally aware that 5K is 3.2 miles. As someone who only runs in sports (tennis, soccer, etc.) I didn't really think about the running around I did/do, but when it's the only thing you're doing.. it's different. So while you're sleeping in Saturday morning I will be breaking a sweat and rocking my first health birthday resolution!

Well this post got very wordy very fast.. eek. If you've made it through this post - you're fabulous and should reward yourself with some ice cream.. I know I will on Saturday around 10am. :)

Share + Tell About February

It's been a recurring theme that I have been letting a few weeks lapse before I blog - eeesh! 

I feel like I have lots to write about, then I'm not sure who reads this and then realize that it's my blog (hello!) - doesn't matter who reads it, it's my own little public journal anyway. ;)

I'll share some February sparkly moments to recap the last 4 weeks or so.. (I like to think I forget the snarky moments). Plus the happy is always worth re-telling I think. :)

Sparkly: to be brilliant, lively, or vivacious.

1. Taxes Filed. Ba-bam! We did our taxes ourselves this time and it was so much simpler than I expected it to be!! If you want to know the site we used (it's totally legit), message me and I'd be happy to give you the details!

2. Financial Blessings. So after filing our taxes, we got our tax money which is pretty awesome.. but we also had a few other prayers answered. For the past year we have been really getting serious about our debt repayments (credit cards, student loans, etc.) kicked to the curb. I have definitely been one who has stressed about money and how in the world we will save for a house, our future family, etcetera etcetera. Well, we are seeing a few prayers get answered! We paid off a credit card last month! Yeah!! We also have been given "breaks" on a couple medical bills for both of us. Nothing we sought out or asked for, just blessings that were total surprises for us.. example: I called my dental office to get clarity on my latest bill that seemed a little bit higher than usual. The billing person on the phone waived nearly half the bill. Just Because. Amazing.

3. Travis's foot. It's healing!! On the outside it looks totally normal and healthy. Although the bone break is a slow heal at this point, there is progression and we are so thankful that surgery was not required and that Trav can get around okay and still do his work as well! We also got a surprise on the medical bill we were anticipating this month too. There was more credit (billing money) on a medical card that is through T's work so we didn't have to pay as much as we thought we would on our end. Praise the Lord!

4.  Sweet Valentine's. Knowing that Trav was still on crutches and not driving when that lovely day rolled around. I didn't anticipate flowers or anything really. And I was totally okay with that! As I pull up to his work to pick him up, he was standing outside crutch under one arm and flowers in the other. He had someone at his work take him to the store so he could surprise me with my favorites. Yellow daisies. :)

5.  We have been getting more involved in our church community. I said before how we were getting involved in a new group of 'young marrieds'. (Couples married 5 years or less led by a couple who've been married 20 years.) It's been so cool! We get together with about a dozen or so couples for dinner and talk about married life and how to encourage each other to still fulfill the mission of God in our relationships.

6. We booked our Anniversary trip for the summertime! July 10 is our wedding anniversary and this summer we are going back to where we Honeymooned because we loved it SO much! The San Juan Islands. We cannot wait to go back and visit and play on the islands up north. I'm already looking forward to wearing sun dresses and enjoying the water in the evening time.

So that's a fun recap of our February goodness. I also am going to add this super cute link because it is just too darling not to share and I'm sure you will smile - in fact I'm quite positive you will say "aww" within a minute of the video. It's that adorable.

A Little Me Time

Aw hello little ol' blog of mine. I have missed you these last few weeks (!!), but you've been on my mind. There are many things I want to blog and some deep thoughts to release out to the internet world - and soon will! 

Being a good employee and a fabulous wife have been consuming the minutes in my days but a little me time is coming soon (Travis will be at a men's retreat through our church) and I fully intend to enjoy my quiet little vacay at home. : )

Things to happen.. 

+ renting movies that I want to see and won't feel bad asking Trav to sit through it.

+ blogging. Hello!

+ reading the first book of The Hunger Games series. 

(Super excited to join the band wagon on this!)

+ organizing a few cupboards in our kitchen to help make life a little easier for my guy and myself. I've got to have 'some' type of productivity to look back on. ;)

Of course I'll miss T while he's snowboarding, having yummy meals and basking in all the glory that is at Mt. Bachelor. I also have to say that I'm super excited for him to meet new friends, have some time to really get deeper into The Bible with some way amazing guys and have some time for himself to participate in things that he otherwise he might not feel he could do while being here at home with me. Plus if the ladies get together and decided to have a weekend at Sun River I'll totally be jumping on board! : )

I'm excited for him but also prayerful for him (prayerful.. is that a word??). Please join me in praying for Travis and the other 2 dozen or so guys that will be going as well. That they arrive safe, are able to seek further growth in the Bible and establish new friendships. He has a heart for God and wants to always do the right thing and be a great person - I'm so blessed to have him as my husband and learn so much from him daily. This is a trip he has been looking forward to and I couldn't be happier that he sought out the opportunity to go and do so. 

I am anxious and excited to open up a bit more on this blog and I feel ready to do so. As most of my friends know my/our background, I feel that I can use this blog as a vessel to reach out to others who may be facing the same hurdles that I faced/continue to face! I'll leave a little to the imagination with the closing verse below, but am working on a future post. Until then - enjoy your week and I too will continue to see out the joy each day as well!

"When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy." 

(Psalm 94v19)

A Beautiful Day

Wow. That is how I would describe my personal kick off to this fall season in my life.When I would hear people say how "blessed" they feel or how "blessed" they are, I often wonder what does that mean to literally "feel" blessed? I am 100% sure I felt blessed yesterday and it is still oozing over into today. Quite a good feeling too! I am feeling determined to enjoy this fall season. Usually I see it as a sad thing; the summer time is over, the weather is getting cooler and it is of course the reminder of my Dad's passing (Oct. 22, 2007). But, I'm having a change of attitude of how I approach things in life. Yesterday felt like an answer to a personal prayer of a change in attitude for me. Seeing things fresh and enjoying things moment by moment. When you look at something with a clear perspective and fresh outlook it is much easier to adapt to changes that come your way. Knowing that I am a complete work-in-progress I almost have to remind myself daily to just let things come as they may and know of the things that I am in control of - attitude and energy. 

Yesterday Travis and I had a leisurely breakfast at Biscuits (love that we have one 10 minutes away from our place!). After some pancakes + hash browns, corned beef hash (I'll let you can figure who had what..) and coffee we were off for our day. Each year Suavie Island has a huge corn maize that they design in different shapes and icons. This year they did it with the spirit of the Portland Timbers.

We did not venture alone out to the island though - we met up with our close friends Teresa and boyfriend Nick. They are a wonderful couple and we are so grateful for their friendship! 

After going through the maze for a long while.. we finally made it out of there! :)

Sauvie Island doesn't joke around with fall harvest time.. they had stands for corn on the cob, baked potatoes, lots of kettle corn, caramel apples, elephant ears, coffee, cider and lots of other goodies. Plus a super cute "cottage" with a room full of Christmas goodies. It was so hard not to buy about a dozen ornaments in there and a cute reindeer decoration. We went on the hay ride there to pick out our pumpkins and here is what we settled on..

When we got home we had just enough time to clean up and change to get ready for our church evening at Solid Rock. We have been attending fairly regularly (I had written my 'church' post in advance when we were looking at different churches, but had visited Solid Rock many times before that.) and would like to consider it our new community. :) We had set up a meeting with one of the Pastors to find out ways to get plugged in more at the church and to get to know him more and to let him in on our story and our faith. It was such a great meeting and I absolutely feel so comforted knowing that we are just 2 of the 5,000+ people that attend their gatherings, but they are able to make time for you when requested. I felt so enriched in the abundance of things we can participate in, learn further about and grow more friendships with other Jesus followers. 

I also ran into a few people I knew from high school there that evening. It's so cool when you can just catch up with people and immediately feel at ease and comforted when in a huge crowd none the less! We are in the middle of a series Salt + Light at church and talking about having mission in your community. I am loving this series and learning about the Sermon on the Mount. Overall just feeling encouraged and full of all types of ideas and ways that I can contribute and pursue what His desire for me is. In attending the (praying for Portland) 'Seven' events these last few weeks has also allowed me to put even more thought into what it is that I can be a part of and what I can do. I was in a group with about 6 other young women (high school and college age), but I just felt so much empowerment and so much love already for those ladies when we were praying and talking. I feel that I still have a calling for working with youth and am trying to channel what exactly it is that I can do or where I should be.

I am so thankful for a wonderful husband who I definitely unloaded all my feelings of "being blessed" last night on our drive back home. Thinking about the week and what all Saturday alone brought us emotionally, mentally and spiritually is so amazing. We sang the song in the video below (You're Beautiful by Phil Wickham) at church last night and it is definitely a reminder of how wonderful and beautiful everything around us is. And because of Him, we have so much to be blessed by. :)

Prayin for Portland!

Check out the video below and learn a bit about something super amazing going on in our city: Portland.

Seven Promo from JP Watson on Vimeo.

Pretty cool huh? We have been steadily attending Solid Rock (Sunday mornings back in Beaverton when we lived there this past winter/spring time) and have been going to their downtown location on Saturday nights the last 4-6 weeks. John Mark who was in that video is one of the Pastors at Solid Rock and we love listening to him speak. What's even cooler? He's my husband's age! Which leads me to another cool thing: About three quarters of the church community there is between 18-35 years old. We feel like we fit in and have found a cool cause to be involved with. It's called Seven. Just like what was mentioned in the video (or if you couldn't load the video..) for 7 weeks on Wednesdays, there are gatherings at a different church each evening (on top of the early 6:30am crew and noon group) at 7pm that get together to pray and talk about how we would love to see Portland grow and build a terrific community of believers and also just ways to strengthen what is already here too. We went to the first night (last night) and it was incredible! Take a look at the photo below..

via original photo on Solid Rock's Facebook page

Plus there was an over flow of more people behind this camera person in the large foyer area too. The whole church was packed! (I would estimate over 1,000 people easily.) It was so cool to be among other believers and really amazing to be with SO many people in our age group! I totally encourage friends to come and enjoy the event on Wednesdays or even take time at home during that 7pm hour and think of ways that Portland could use prayer. I'm a newbie with prayer and half the time speak in bullet points of thoughts and ideas, but it's all good God loves any way that you can communicate with Him. :)

It felt great to pray for colleagues, community leaders, restoration of our lives, neighborhoods, families, marriages, teachers and even the local economy. But that was just our small group of 5 people, imagine what over 1,000 people were adding to that list!

I love Portland and I am learning how prayer can change things or help us understand why God has things happen the way He does. I have loved learning so much through the teachings at church and we are excited for next weeks gathering too. I will close this blog entry with a photo of Travis becoming baptized and a member at our previous church a few years ago. This was truly the beginning of 'our' walk as a couple and was quite a beautiful moment indeed.

Church + Community

This spot is at Camp Magruder. I took this photo while at the WUMC's Women's Retreat.

Ohh Sunday. I love Sunday. Wanna know why? Well you were going to find out anyways. Without further ado: 1. It's the 2nd half of the weekend. It means to me "yes! I get another day to recharge." Saturday usually involves the errands, and the 'gotta get this done' type of activity. 2. Sleeping in and cozy breakfast with my husband. Sometimes due to work activity - Trav will have to work on Saturdays, but we almost always get to enjoy our Sundays together. Love that "lets take extra long to wake up" and just have a morning snuggle. Too mushy?  3. The third thing has been missing lately.. Church. We both love going to church, participating in worship, learning more about the Bible and growing together in our faith and our walks.

Before going too far, I suppose I should give a little background about my upbringing in this area. Growing up I knew that my mom was raised with a Catholic upbringing and my dad having a Methodist life (they were both super involved in their churches too). When they married they decided to allow their daughters to grow on their own spiritual path and make decisions for themselves in that area. *However, I do now know that both of my parents wish that as a family we had done more activities in a church (Catholic or Methodist) and had more of a background in church.* In high school I started getting curious about church and participated many times in friend's youth groups and became interested in learning more. When I was in college I can word it sort of like I "lost" my faith or put it on the back burner and did not give the necessary attention I should have.

It was not until after my Dad passed away (October 2007) I started to feel a "pull" to find a church and find out 'why' I lost my Dad. My first knee-jerk reaction was to get mad at God for taking my Dad, but in a way I felt a peace for him. No more pain. No more health impairments requiring pain, medications and sadness for him. He was able to see me graduate college! (probably one of the first actual prayers I can recall making.)

In my search for a church. I found a wonderful community in a Beaverton church. I became a Member of the church, I was involved, made so many wonderful friendships and bonds while attending that church. I was even a link in helping Travis get back to his faith and he too becoming a Member of the church and being super active in events and planning there. After attending for a few years we learned so much and wanted to learn MORE. We wanted to grow more and seek a community that spoke well to us. There are zero ill feelings to us leaving that church in search of a new 'home'. It is important to me that we are with other like-minded individuals (young married couples and families).  We have been able to participate in other churches and have been in awe of all the amazing communities that are formed all over Portland. 

Lately we have let ourselves be 'busy' and have not been able to make the commitment that we once had with church. Currently we both want to be able to make that commitment again. My hope is that 1. we find a great welcoming community that fits for us. 2. we are able to get involved in a small group. 3. we can become stronger and develop our personal faith more. Whether it's a small church or super big church - that doesn't matter. The core of what matters is loving one another and treating each other well. And that Jesus is a friend of yours and mine. :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11