Family Bonding Is ...

... getting to meet my brand new niece-to-be, Gabby. She's a little spitfire who couldn't be cuter if she tried! She's the perfect daughter for Brenda & Miles and we all love her.

... cleaning up after not one, but two vomiting boys. I would pay to never see throw-up again.


... having my boys share their stomach virus with me, Michael, his parents & my parents all within the scope of 72 hours.

... having my mom & sister (who I hadn't seen in 8 months!) take care of my boys while Michael & I spent an entire day on the couch "bonding" over being violently ill together.

... playing couples Sequence with Miles & Brenda (guys vs. girls .... Go Girls!).

... having a sister who will come all the way from Idaho to help me organize my files, my photos and my work magazines so I can finish my tax paperwork and pack more efficiently.

... when you cry 2 seconds after saying goodbye to your sister because you know her 7 hour trek back home is taking her away from you again.

... spending several hours with Michael & Mom painting the 2 bedrooms at my mom & dad's house the boys & I will soon be using. Although my mom & I will never be professional painters, let's just say that it is such a relief to have those ugly, ugly sponge-painted colors "erased" from those bedroom walls. Whew!

And now I am off to mow the backyard in anticipation of some potential buyers coming to see the house tomorrow. Yay for a beautiful weekend to do it! Spring is finally here!

Where, O Where Have I Been?

OK, I have no new pictures. How sad is that? I will need to work on that!

Time sometimes sneaks up on me and I realize that not days, but weeks, have gone by without a blog update. Welcome to the crazy time of my life right now.

The 4 weeks without Michael while he was in CA doing a remodel job were LOOONNNGGGGG. Boy were we glad to have him home! That accounts for some of why I had no time to blog.

Other than that, life just crept in with its demands ... getting bronchitis, filling out mounds of paperwork for my attorney, trying to get my tax paperwork together (still working on that one!), working at my job, planning for 4 upcoming weddings, networking, trying to pack (haven't gotten far on that one at all!), spending time with a very sick child who ended up in the ER with pneumonia, etc., etc., etc.

Other than the 4 weddings I'm planning, my other exciting news is the Wedding/Event Professionals Networking Group I'm starting up. It will be a monthly event and I am hoping to have it hosted by a different local wedding venue each time. The first one will be April 30th and will be hosted by The Allison ... the new, high-class hotel opening this summer. We will have food, wine, music, photography, hard hat tours, and lots more. I get to play emcee. Not exactly my strength; however, this is great exposure for my business. No Ordinary Affair will be the official sponsor for each of these networking events. So far I have had great feedback; the vendors I have relationships with are eagerly inviting others.

All I'm lacking is a name. ANY SUGGESTIONS????? I'm looking for something catchy and unique. Since these events will be on Thursdays, it was suggested that the name tie into that so it will be easy to remember. I like that idea; my only hesitation is that there's no guarantee we won't move this to a different day of the week later on.

So I need some brainstorming!! You guys have always been so good at that.... :)

My boys are doing great. Drew lost his 4th tooth last night and has a cute little lisp. He is recovering well from the pneumonia. He has become an avid reader and LOVES to read and write whenever he can.

Nick is a non-stop talker. For those of you who said that would happen once he started talking, you were right. He's also a total ham. No doubt whatsoever that he has Eckdahl genes! He is about 90% potty-trained (finally!), so I am thrilled about that. He also is determined to read just like his big brother.

Today Michael & I are heading over to my parents' house to start painting the 2 bedrooms the boys and I will be using. Can't believe we're only a month away from moving. There is so much to do and so little time.

I promise to try to be better with these posts. Better a short post than none at all, right?

Love you all!!

Happy Early Valentine's Day

Isn't this the most brilliant rainbow? Michael & I were treated to this view last Sunday as we sat in the hot tub. I love rainbows; they're amazing.

Even more amazing was the fact that this was a double rainbow. I was used to seeing those all the time when we lived on Maui, so they carry a bit of nostalgia for me. That made this one all the more special. To top it off, it was mine & Michael's "Valentine's Day" weekend. We celebrated early since he left on Wednesday for a 3 week remodel job in CA.

I don't feel cheated out of Valentine's Day at all this year. On the contrary, I feel very blessed. I got this big card and a couple gifts from Michael, and then I got this homemade card from Drew. I also got gifts from both my boys (courtesy of Vickie!). And then tomorrow I get the free oil change from the church. All in all, I feel extremely loved!!

This week I helped Drew & Nick make some Valentine's Day cards. Drew had to make them for each of his classmates. He was cute. He insisted that the boys get the bug ones, but that he make pretty ones with lots of stickers for the girls ("because they don't like bugs").

Today was Drew's class Valentine's Day party. He came back with tons of loot. It turns out that kids don't just give V-Day cards like we all did when we were in school. Oh no, the cards come attached to all kinds of candy and gift bags. What??!!! When did that start happening?

As I was pondering that one, I made my way to my appointment this afternoon with the Sales Director of The Allison ... a brand new hotel & day spa being built in Newberg and set to open in August. It will be the first high class hotel Yamhill County has. I wanted an opportunity to do my own little "sales pitch" for No Ordinary Affair.

All I can say is, "Wow!!" Everything about our meeting exceeded my wildest dreams. It's like God's opened wide yet another door for me. I was euphoric when I left!! Kind of like some of you women feel when you go shopping ... when the adrenaline is running high. This is how I get my adrenaline rush since I'm not a shopper. Never have been, never will be. In fact, Michael gives me a bad time for having fewer clothes than any woman he knows. Someday when I have the money, I will rectify that ... but even then, it will be in short, one hour shopping stints. That's all I can handle.

Boy did I digress! I just had the most awesome afternoon and am still processing what this might mean for my business.

On Tuesday at work my Director & I watched the current legislative session as the State Commission on Children & Families gave testimony and tried to plead their case for not being the recipient of massive budget cuts. However, the State CCF was eaten alive by the legislators. It wasn't pretty. While we won't know the final outcome for several weeks (or months?), it was confirmation that my job will indeed cease to exist as of June 30th.

Was I scared? No. In fact, I found myself laughing. And today is just proof that God's got it all under control. God is love and love never fails.

Happy Valentine's Day to you .... my family and my friends. I love you all.

... and I'm missing my man.

Never Too Old To Learn

New Year's weekend Michael & I and the boys joined Craig & Vickie for 3 days at the coast. As we were headed home that Sunday, we made a stop at the local bakery for a treat. There was an older lady behind the counter who seeemed friendly enough until I ordered a chocolate chip muffin. She gruffly asked me which size. Seeing only one size of muffin, I was a bit confused by the question. She asked me again, this time rolling her eyes at me as though I was an idiot. I felt flustered. I still only saw one size muffin and was wondering if I actually just saw her roll her eyes at me. I told her I didn't understand her question. That made her angry and she said not too nicely, "There's the regular size and the giant size. It's not a hard question. Which one do you want?" I realized she was pointing to the chocolate chip cookies, not the chocolate chip muffins. I let her know that I had wanted a muffin, not a cookie. For some reason, that really set her off. She let out an irritated snort while making sure I saw her exaggerated eye roll at me, took out a muffin, slammed it on the counter and then looked at Michael for his order. I was no longer flustered; now I was angry. I considered leaving the muffin there and just having us all walk out, and I waited to see if Michael would say anything to her. He calmly gave her the other orders, paid, and we left.

Still shocked at how I had been treated by the bakery lady, I was quick to vent that when we were outside. Michael's take on it was that I shouldn't have been upset at all; instead, I should have just heaped extra kindness on her. I didn't want to hear that ... I was still wrestling with the shock of that kind of "customer service" and feeling like I should have just walked out with nothing so she would know it wasn't okay to treat people that way.

However, on the long ride home, God began to convict me. Michael was right. It should never have been about my "rights" as a customer. It should have been about me letting Jesus love her through me. Sometimes we get so caught up in our rights, we forget the Bible teaches us to turn the other cheek. That's a hard one. Perhaps one of the things God wants me to keep in mind this year. Another growing point.

Yet another growing point: a while back, when Michael & I started dating, someone sent me this book, "For Women Only". I am embarrassed to admit that I don't remember who. They said it was an incredible book. I thought that was so nice; however, it got set aside for a long time. I think I just assumed it would be like every other relationship book ... good, but nothing new.

Then, last fall, I finally found it again and decided to read it. Boy was it good! I was so shocked and pleasantly surprised. I learned some great and valuable things about Michael in that book. It's the kind of book that you keep and read over and over.

For Christmas I bought Michael the "For Men Only" book. It has been the same experience for him ... he has learned much about me from the book. They have been awesome for our relationship and I would highly recommend them to anyone, regardless of your marital status, or even how long you've been married. Another bonus? ... they're both short and don't bog you down. The book for men (about women) even comes with a handy "cheat sheet" in the front which the guys like.

So, that's my two cents for today!

Beautiful Things

Today could not have been more perfect. I set out for the coast to meet with my new clients; there was brilliant sunshine and not a cloud in the sky. When I arrived here at Neskowin, Proposal Rock was standing tall & green and the roar of the blue & white ocean waves was like music to my ears.

Every time I meet with a new couple, they become my favorite clients. Today was no exception. This wedding in August may just be my most fun wedding yet!

As I walked out of the condo with a contract and check in hand, behind the closed door I heard the bride, groom & mother let our their own celebratory cheer about having secured my services. I think that was the sweetest thing I ever heard.

I was fortunate enough to have my cousin offer to let the boys play at her house while I was gone today. Even though they LOVE playing with Jordan, Nick was having a difficult time this morning letting me go. He cried and cried and just wanted to be held. Many times in the past 2-3 weeks, the boys have cried when I have had to go to work. It kills me. I've encouraged them to continue praying for more clients for me so that I can quit my job and be able to work from home with them.

While my boys continue to play at Tammy's with Jordan, I am sitting here with this pile of bankruptcy paperwork to start completing. These are strange parallel roads that I am walking at the same time.

In the midst of that are some surprising and touching gifts. I would like to brag on my friend Rachel while I tell you about one of them. Rachel has a heart for single mothers. Through Church on the Hill (my old church), she has set up a special Valentine's Day treat for 45 single moms ... a free oil change on the 14th.

Rachel was quick to make sure I knew about it. When I called her to reserve a timeslot, I was overwhelmed to the point of tears when she told me what all the day will involve. While the oil is being changed on our cars, the kids will be read to while the moms are getting free massages. Then we will be sent off with gift bags.

Rachel, there is a big crown waiting for you in heaven. Your heart is huge. There are many moms who will never even know how to adequately say thank you. They will feel overwhelmed even trying. But trust me, what you are doing will never be forgotten. And it will be paid forward in many, many ways.

Small Update

On Saturday Michael & I celebrated his birthday by spending the day at the coast. Our first stop was here at Neskowin -- Proposal Rock -- where I will be doing a beach wedding in August. It's going to be a destination wedding and I'm meeting with the bride & groom and her family for the first (and maybe only) time this coming Saturday. I needed to do a little exploration prior to our meeting so I could get a good feel for the area. I'm glad I did because there are going to be tons of logistics to work out for this wedding!

I stayed home from work again today ... just trying to shake the final stages of this cold. It's gotten into my chest, so I need to be sure to take care of myself.

I was glad I had the chance to stay home ... I got to spend quality time with the boys, and I got to watch the huge, beautiful snowflakes falling this morning. It was so pretty. Then the rain came and washed it all away.

Due to an unexpected and overly generous monetary gift given to me for this purpose, I was able to go to the attorney's office today to start the bankruptcy process. This whole cycle is such a humbling -- and often humiliating -- process. Many things I'm experiencing that I never thought in my wildest dreams I would have to experience. I'm no longer afraid of this path ... there is a reason I have to walk it and I'm trusting God to use this circumstance in my life. I know many people all over the country are going through bankruptcy and foreclosure and I am certainly not alone in this. That knowledge doesn't make it any easier.

So now I have "homework" to do and an online class to take and papers to gather. I have so many questions and so few answers.

This month has already flown by; I can't believe it's almost over. Between Michael's family and my family, we've had/are having birthdays galore. There seems to be a party every time we turn around. But I love family ... I love that God created family. I love that family is always your family. I love how unique family relationships are. I love laughing with family.

We went over to my parents' house on Sunday to measure the two bedrooms the boys & I will be moving into in about 3 months. I'm a planner so I needed measurements to try and figure out what will and won't fit, and how best to configure it. I came to the sobering conclusion that because my room has to double as my bedroom and office, I am going to have to sleep on my Grandma's old twin bed in order to fit everything in the room. Now mind you, it is a very nice pillowtop, little-used bed. However, I am going to go from a king-sized bed to a twin. A TWIN!!! I was in college the last time I slept in a twin bed!

Humor. It's going to be all about a sense of humor. That, and remembering that it's only temporary ...

Happy 2009

I had no idea it had been a whole month since I last blogged. Life continues to run full-speed ahead while my lists of "to-do's" and "not done" continue to grow longer and longer.

New Year's weekend Craig, Vickie, Michael, the boys and I spent two days at the coast. It was so relaxing and so fun.

And it just went by way too fast. Vacations, that's what I need more of ... vacations.

However, there are no vacations looming in the near future. Instead, my near future consists of packing and packing and more packing. And figuring out where to store all of our stuff when the boys & I move in with my parents for a while at the end of April. Lots and lots to do.

While my job is almost certain to end June 30th due to state budget cuts, I am not afraid. I am excitedly working hard to build No Ordinary Affair. I would be a happy camper if God blessed it beyond my hopes and I was able to quit my job prior to June. I love the brides and the vendors I am working with now.

In the midst of packing and plans and business and work, life continues to move forward.

Drew had his 6th birthday last week with about 25 people in attendance. My grandma, of course, being the woman that she is (or has become) looked around at all of Michael's family members and said loudly, "Who are all these people?! I don't know these people!" Leave it to Grandma...

You don't get to choose your family, but you do get to love them. :)

Oh boy, I had more to say ("words of wisdom", of course!); however, I managed to catch the boys' cold and I am laying on the couch having a very hard time keeping my eyes open. I just want a new nose, a soothed throat, and many hours of sleep...