Little Blurbs

I thought the best way to recap this whole blur- of- a -weekend was to post the pics that I liked the best, and write a little blurb for each one as it entered my head. I could write pages and pages about conversations, meals, Chris's message, but I don't want to totally bore you to tears. So without further ado, the Road Trip With the In-Laws of 2007 to Long Beach re-cap:

You can probably guess that two of those guys are twins. You're right. Joe (my hubby) is in the blue, and Josh is in the red. Andrew, one of Josh's housemates, is on the far left with the chip. This picture makes me think of the Sesame Street song "which of these things is not like the other". Anyway, Andrew is a recent seminary grad, is dating a lovely lady named Carla (who I got to meet this time), and is a music pastor. He is also one of the most well-read, eccentric, musical people I know. He can talk to you about opera or 80's hairbands in the same sentence. Andrew was the consummate host, and took us to one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to (and being raised in CA, there's a lot, so that really says something), El Chulo. Muy excellante!

Well, here is the awesome twosome. These guys crack me up. Being twins, they have a bond that goes way past brothers...I don't really know how to describe it. There's the normal finishing each other's sentences, reading the other's mind, and knowing how the other is hardwired. But it goes a lot deeper than even that; it is very cool to see. Especially now that they don't live together, I think they get along better. Where as before there was typical sibling stuff, now there's a real friendship. Josh is such a great guy- whoever ends up with him is one lucky girl. I really liked seeing him in his element at church doing announcements, meeting people that think he's such an asset to the church, and even in the house with the guys. He's really grown a lot.

These are my in-laws. This is the second trip that Joe and I have taken with them to the LA area, and I hope not the last!! I am really fortunate to have married into a family where I feel so connected and comfortable. We really had a great time. I like being with them away from home, work, responsibilities, etc., because they really open and loosen up. Funny stories come out and there's a lot of laughter. Also, when I see them interact, I see a lot of myself and Joe. Wonderful, wonderful people.

These two cuties (and I don't mean me and Joe) are the Lankford girls. Jessalyn is on the left, Makayla on the right. Jessa was just a baby when Chris and Melinda came to our church, and now she's about to turn 8! She is just the most kind child I have ever met. She wants to share everything, and talks to everyone. It's like conversing with a mini adult. Makayla will be 5 in the fall and she's a little firecracker. It was great trying to see a child process the fact that Joe and Josh were twins. She's pretty used to seeing Josh, but adding Joe to the mix was a little mind blowing to her. Why did they have the same face? Are they brothers too? Am I married to both? Too cute. They are well behaved, polite, and full of spunk. Just what I'd like my kids to be like. Chris and Melinda have done a great job, and it's really encouraging to watch them parent. The most embarrassing point of the trip was when we were all hugging goodbye, and Jessalynn gave me a squeeze, then pointed to my stomach and said,"you get pregnant girl!". I turned about 3 different shades of magenta. Fun times.


You've heard me say it before, and I'll say it again. We love the Lankfords. Period. Chris married us, and Melinda was a bridesmaid. That kind of connection doesn't just happen, so when it does, you HAVE to cherish it. We miss them horribly. Every time we visit them in LB, and go to their church, we always turn to each other and say, "so, you wanna move down here?" We never would (the whole So Cal vs Nor Cal is a different blog), but just the thought of being in their church body makes us consider it. As usual, we left them feeling great. There is nothing like the knowledge that you are loved and prayed for. We had a lot of laughs, and a lot of talk. Of course, it was nowhere close to enough, but we'll take what we can get. Hopefully, we'll be able to join them and some of our other friends at Hume Lake over memorial day weekend (keep your fingers crossed that Joe's schedule allows it...)

Interesting things happen when you turn your camera over to a 4 year old. She didn't do too badly though...she got us all in the shot.

Makayla's self portrait. She's too funny and adorable.

On the crafting front, I've started making yo-yo's. I don't really know what I'll do with them...I was thinking a garland, but then I discovered that I'm not a speed whiz yet, and that might take awhile. I think for now, I'll just use them to embellish stuff. I also am stitching my first onsie, for a friend who is having her third baby this July. Joe's eyes turned into golf balls when I pulled them out of the Target bag, and I had to reassure him they weren't ours. I did start oohing and ahhhhing about how cute and tiny they were, and I'm sure Joe thinks that I'm starting to get babyitis...I mean, I don't have a full blown case, buuut, I am developing a few of the symptoms... :)