That is such a loaded question isn't it? I mean, I guess, the most simple definition of that would be somebody who is a follower of Christ. That they believe in God and that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then rose again three days later. I would say that is the most stripped down version one could possibly offer of what a Christian is. But then, why do Christians look so different than each other? I believe that there are many different ways that one can worship and be a Christ follower... and that not everybody's ways of doing so will be the same.
For instance, I love my sister dearly, but I know that we have very different views on what it means to be a Christian, and how we lives our lives. There is a lot of history and stuff between the two of us, and I'm not going to get into it, but it is always an ongoing discussion between the two of us. We both profess to love Jesus and want to learn more about Him and walk in His ways... but we do it so differently... so who is right? Is there a right way?
Every now and again I get these emails from my sister about such broad topics and what they think it means to be a Christian. I'm not a huge fan, not gonna lie. I don't like the way they present things, (they being the people who write the articles that she sends me) and sometimes there are things I flat out disagree with. Its hard to have these discussions with her because I know her heart is in the right place and she is wanting to 'look out for me' in that older sister type of way, but there are times that it's just offensive. I think I'm a little to liberal for her... but, it is also good when I get them because it makes me reassess what I think, why I think them, and if there is room for change. There is always room for growth, I'm not to ignorant to think that...
I guess this is where I stand currently. My ideas about Christianity, about people who profess to love Jesus and show His ways to others would be by His love and grace. Yes, there are hard truths in the bible that people will debate, but wasn't the whole basis and idea of Jesus love and forgiveness? I mean, God KNEW the world would turn their backs on Him, and yet, here He sends His SON to atone for everybody. That means the people who deny Him, the people who hate Him, and then the people who don't even know about Him.
And of course there are different walks along ones journey of faith. And I believe that one's ability to see where the other person is and meet them there is the greatest tool. From there you can push them without scaring them off, and show them how much God loves them.
It can be such a complex topic... full of lots of emotion, history and baggage... but I guess I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't have to be.
"....That the greatest of these is love." 1 Corin. 13:13 (yup, I'm that person that quoted the bible to prove my point)
There is a verse of a song I heard that has been stuck in my head and I thought I would share:
Here is Love by Matt Redman
"Grace and Love, like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And Heaven's peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love."
JVG
Family photo Oct 2010
Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Weaning
Lucy has been weaning from nursing for about a month now and she's almost completely weaned! She is down to one time a day (usually before nap time) and then if she wakes up at night, which she hasn't been the last few nights!
Pretty much it's a blessing and a curse. A blessing because this will make it easier for when Gaetan has to put her down... no heating up bottles, no having to make sure I pumped enough... but it's a curse because I like our time together. As much as I love getting a full nights sleep (uninterrupted!) I never really minded getting up in the middle of the night so that we could snug and have some QT. Tristan weaned himself around 14 months, but I think that was because I was pregnant already and the hormones might've changed the way it tasted. But this time, I'm not pregnant so I didn't know how Lu was going to take it. Also, she loves to eat.... anything and everything. :)
But ever since we have started doing this she has been doing things leaps and bounds more like a big girl. Even today after nap time we found her in her crib without a diaper on... So she is I think shedding all of her baby tendencies and really wanting to be a big girl.
I think that she will most likely be 100% weaned by the end of this month. So, here is to you my big girl... may you continue to grow!!
JVG
Pretty much it's a blessing and a curse. A blessing because this will make it easier for when Gaetan has to put her down... no heating up bottles, no having to make sure I pumped enough... but it's a curse because I like our time together. As much as I love getting a full nights sleep (uninterrupted!) I never really minded getting up in the middle of the night so that we could snug and have some QT. Tristan weaned himself around 14 months, but I think that was because I was pregnant already and the hormones might've changed the way it tasted. But this time, I'm not pregnant so I didn't know how Lu was going to take it. Also, she loves to eat.... anything and everything. :)
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| I know this is blurry, but it's so hard to get a picture of her standing still. She's SO FAST! |
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| This is after she climbed downstairs, (silently) and got up on the chair for some cereal snacks. I love the face... "what? I wasn't doing anything here..." |
I think that she will most likely be 100% weaned by the end of this month. So, here is to you my big girl... may you continue to grow!!
JVG
The Flacks
Yesterday somebody Gaetan went to high school with got married! There are only a handful of people that Gaetan kept in contact with from high school, so it was pretty exciting and special to see them on their big day.
I met Krista before she was with Kyle. She's very sweet... she wouldn't look like it but she's a great rugby player! We where both pretty happy when she broke up with her boyfriend that she had from high school... he seemed to be lacking in motivation in life. Kyle is a real nice guy too. It's always really nice hanging out with them. And I really couldn't think of anybody who is more maternal than Krista. She was even gracious enough to come and visit in the hospital after Tristan was born. :)
We had a lot of fun at the wedding. Mom was gracious enough to watch the kids while we had our night out. I am really glad that I can rely on my parents to help out in times like this, and its reassuring that the kids love being there.
We didn't really know anybody else there so that was kinda awkward at times, but we still had a good time together. I like getting dressed up all fancy with him and just having us time.
The food was actually really good, which I can't say with certainty about all the weddings I've been too. I even had a few martinis... ;) I wish Kyle and Krista the very best in their marriage and we hope to be apart of their lives for many many more years.
JVG
I met Krista before she was with Kyle. She's very sweet... she wouldn't look like it but she's a great rugby player! We where both pretty happy when she broke up with her boyfriend that she had from high school... he seemed to be lacking in motivation in life. Kyle is a real nice guy too. It's always really nice hanging out with them. And I really couldn't think of anybody who is more maternal than Krista. She was even gracious enough to come and visit in the hospital after Tristan was born. :)
We had a lot of fun at the wedding. Mom was gracious enough to watch the kids while we had our night out. I am really glad that I can rely on my parents to help out in times like this, and its reassuring that the kids love being there.
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| Lu playing outside, helping to 'water' their flowers |
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| Grandpa and Lu loving the sprinkler, while Duder cheers them on! |
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| All dressed up and ready to go! |
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| Hanging out downtown in between the wedding and the reception |
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| At the end of the night, ready to go get our kiddos. BTW, this is the dress that I got when I went shopping with Ratty! :) |
JVG
Copy Lu
Our sweet little Lucy Girl is growing up so fast. And the funniest thing to watch her do is try and do everything big brother does. She LOVES watching, playing and annoying the heck out of him. But pretty much anything he does, she will try and do it right after. It's intense!
One of her favorite things to do right now is get dressed in his clothes. Since his dresser is right at Lucy level hands she loves getting into his stuff. She was so excited the other day when Gaetan put his PJ's on her... and then she found a pair of training pants and wanted them on over her clothes. She likes to be doing whatever Tristan is doing, whether that is playing with a certain toy, reading a book, or just being in the same area he is in. There are days that he tolerates it better than others, but it's sweet to see them together. Most of the time he is really into helping her and teaching her things, which warms this Momma's heart. He really does care for his baby sister.
She is already talking a bit too. I think she hears him talking all the time and wants to join in. She recognizes and can say on command, Momma, Baby, Ba Ba (which I think might be big brother) and Da Da.
It will be so interesting to see how they grow and develop together. :)
JVG
One of her favorite things to do right now is get dressed in his clothes. Since his dresser is right at Lucy level hands she loves getting into his stuff. She was so excited the other day when Gaetan put his PJ's on her... and then she found a pair of training pants and wanted them on over her clothes. She likes to be doing whatever Tristan is doing, whether that is playing with a certain toy, reading a book, or just being in the same area he is in. There are days that he tolerates it better than others, but it's sweet to see them together. Most of the time he is really into helping her and teaching her things, which warms this Momma's heart. He really does care for his baby sister.
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| In his PJ's trying to lay down next to him |
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| Hanging out in his chair |
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| Super Lucy! They were dancing and holding hands |
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| They love to chase each other... they're so fast, hence the blur! |
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| She was NOT happy about the idea of being in the car, so we put her in Dude's chair and she piped right down. |
She is already talking a bit too. I think she hears him talking all the time and wants to join in. She recognizes and can say on command, Momma, Baby, Ba Ba (which I think might be big brother) and Da Da.
It will be so interesting to see how they grow and develop together. :)
JVG
High school alum softball game
I was asked to play in our high school alumni softball game. I was apart of the original team that the head coach started way back when! He always wanted to have an alumni game against the current team, but this year it finally happened... after 8 years!
I don't think I have to tell you how old it made me feel being there with all these kids that are going to graduate in like 2014! Ridiculous. The girls that were on the alumni team had graduated high school AFTER I graduated college... by a few years. Oof. It was a lot of fun though. I pretty much haven't played/seen fast pitch softball since 2006... so it was a bit of an adjustment for me. The other girls that were on the alumni team are currently still playing at universities so they were really good... so I looked like the old fart that didn't really know what was going on. haha.
I had a lot of fun though, and it was good to see Coach again. He retired this year from his job but is still going to continue coaching. It's amazing how far the program has come since he took it over. At the beginning it was such a big deal that we didn't lose all our games. But by the end of when I graduated we were winning more than half! Now they are winning conference, districts and they are awesome!
I was glad that Tristan got to come and see. He was really excited about watching Momma play softball. And now everytime we drive past the field he says that's where Momma was playing softball and that I was the best player. :) What a sweet heart. He cheered for me too, which was absolutely adorable! "Yay Momma!" "Go Momma!" What a sweet little voice from the stands.
JVG
I don't think I have to tell you how old it made me feel being there with all these kids that are going to graduate in like 2014! Ridiculous. The girls that were on the alumni team had graduated high school AFTER I graduated college... by a few years. Oof. It was a lot of fun though. I pretty much haven't played/seen fast pitch softball since 2006... so it was a bit of an adjustment for me. The other girls that were on the alumni team are currently still playing at universities so they were really good... so I looked like the old fart that didn't really know what was going on. haha.
I had a lot of fun though, and it was good to see Coach again. He retired this year from his job but is still going to continue coaching. It's amazing how far the program has come since he took it over. At the beginning it was such a big deal that we didn't lose all our games. But by the end of when I graduated we were winning more than half! Now they are winning conference, districts and they are awesome!
I was glad that Tristan got to come and see. He was really excited about watching Momma play softball. And now everytime we drive past the field he says that's where Momma was playing softball and that I was the best player. :) What a sweet heart. He cheered for me too, which was absolutely adorable! "Yay Momma!" "Go Momma!" What a sweet little voice from the stands.
JVG
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
A Rat and a Pomba
This past weekend I was so lucky to have a good friend spend a few days with us. :) Ashley came out Friday night and spent the night so we could hang out all day Saturday! She initially was going to run the Mud Run with me (and I thought it was early in the morning) hence the spending the night. Well, she was a huge help at the actual race... the kids were less than thrilled to be there. Dude thought all the mud and splashing was great, but Lucy wasn't pleased when she got splashed about 10 seconds into the run. Apparently Dude told them, "No! Don't splash my Lu!" haha.
After the race we got some serious girl time in. The kids went down for their naps, I showered (much needed!!) and then we took off for our big day of shenanigans! SIDE NOTE: I had so much mud and yuck in my hair I think my hair had the consistency of dreads...
The first line of business was wedding dress shopping. We both have a lot of weddings to go to this summer, so we figured we should have something nice and new for it. :) We joked that since we had the whole day we would find our dresses at the first store, which, incidentally we did. We just grabbed as many things as we could, things that we thought might not look that great, but we tried them regardless. We tried on things that we wouldn't normally try, because we figured all our clothes looked the same :) We had a BLAST. We, of course, had to try on some extra silly things... check them out.
After we got done and I purchased my dress (which I'm extremely excited about) we just kinda looked around. Now, we never usually go into Forever 21 but this time we did. She said that she got some of her favorite tank tops there and wanted to see if they had them... we didn't find any clothes but we did find $60! We were just looking at some shirts and I saw some money laying on the floor. I told her that she dropped her money and she said, "thanks" and picked it up. She then said that she didn't lose any, so we looked around to see if there was anybody around. Nobody. Not even close! So, we figured it was our lucky day, split the money and went on our way. :) She bought a purse with her money and I was debating on two dresses but one was significantly cheaper than the one I really liked, but with this money it was the same price.
We ran a few other errands and then we gorged ourselves on Sushi. Yum Yum Yum. After that we went to World Market, because really, who doesn't like that store, and she got some stuff.
I don't think this post does this girls outting justice. We had so much fun. It was a much needed break/change in scenery for her and I always love hanging out with her sans kids. :) And it was really nice that she came to our side this time! So, we look forward to the next girl outting... as silly and crazy as it will guaranteed be. :)
JVG
After the race we got some serious girl time in. The kids went down for their naps, I showered (much needed!!) and then we took off for our big day of shenanigans! SIDE NOTE: I had so much mud and yuck in my hair I think my hair had the consistency of dreads...
The first line of business was wedding dress shopping. We both have a lot of weddings to go to this summer, so we figured we should have something nice and new for it. :) We joked that since we had the whole day we would find our dresses at the first store, which, incidentally we did. We just grabbed as many things as we could, things that we thought might not look that great, but we tried them regardless. We tried on things that we wouldn't normally try, because we figured all our clothes looked the same :) We had a BLAST. We, of course, had to try on some extra silly things... check them out.
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| Panda Ear Muffs! |
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| Classy... |
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| Ridiculous dress |
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| We named this Burlesque... it actually looked really good on her, but the pattern is a bit... much. |
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| Leopard print! |
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| I'm not sure who thought jump suits were a good idea... |
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| This was our PJ dress... comfy, but i felt like I was wearing a night gown. |
After we got done and I purchased my dress (which I'm extremely excited about) we just kinda looked around. Now, we never usually go into Forever 21 but this time we did. She said that she got some of her favorite tank tops there and wanted to see if they had them... we didn't find any clothes but we did find $60! We were just looking at some shirts and I saw some money laying on the floor. I told her that she dropped her money and she said, "thanks" and picked it up. She then said that she didn't lose any, so we looked around to see if there was anybody around. Nobody. Not even close! So, we figured it was our lucky day, split the money and went on our way. :) She bought a purse with her money and I was debating on two dresses but one was significantly cheaper than the one I really liked, but with this money it was the same price.
We ran a few other errands and then we gorged ourselves on Sushi. Yum Yum Yum. After that we went to World Market, because really, who doesn't like that store, and she got some stuff.
I don't think this post does this girls outting justice. We had so much fun. It was a much needed break/change in scenery for her and I always love hanging out with her sans kids. :) And it was really nice that she came to our side this time! So, we look forward to the next girl outting... as silly and crazy as it will guaranteed be. :)
JVG
Monday, June 4, 2012
Getting muddy for clean water
My campaign with 20 liters is still going on. We are at 70% of our goal (which is $3200). Which I am impressed with and happy! I will have this going on until we are at 100% of our goal. :)
I got to participate in my first mud run this past weekend. The church that hosted was raising money for clean water also... a different organization and country, but who cares! I'm glad that they are spreading awareness and helping meet the needs of those who are without. It was a 5K run with 9 obstacles... I thought the 5K part wasn't going to be a problem, but I was SO TIRED. It was a 2.5K loop, so we did all the obstacles twice. I ran with a friend of Gaetan's, Parker, who was really good at the obstacles! We had a lot of fun, got super muddy, and the church raised $35,000! Which is awesome!
The first obstacle was called little dipper. It was seriously less than 70 yards into it and it was this hole that was about knee deep of water (and mud). Just getting things out of the way early! My friend Ashley came (she was going to run it with me but they sold out so they closed down registration) and we joked that I should try to jump the hole but I didn't think I was going to make it... I told her if I tried I would fall down... and I did ;) So instead of it being knee deep I got soak up to my waist haha. And that water was COLD.
The second obstacle was called the vertical plague. Now, the course was in the woods so it was more of a trail mud run... but this was quite the hill! I was surprised at how hilly the whole thing was, but this was a pretty substantial hill.
The third was called tire trouble. One of the sponsors of this was a CrossFit gym and they brought their huge tires that we had to run over. It wasn't so bad, but the tires had different toughness so some of them where real squishy and others hard, so the footing was tricky.
The fourth was called snake belly. They had these long tubes that you had to crawl through. Not so bad because I'm not that tall ;) I pretty much bear crawled through it because I didn't think it would feel so nice on my knees to crawl.
The fifth was called the Big Nasty. And in my opinion was the hardest. I have no idea what they did to this mud but it would be more accurately described as quick sand. I took two steps in and I sunk in thigh deep! I saw this guy who was stuck and had 3 people trying to help him out... I sympathized. People lost shoes in there it was so insane! I tipped over because it was so hard to get out and I had probably an inch of mud caked on both sides of my hands and up to my mid forearm. It was intense. That obstacle probably took the longest just because you would get stuck and then you would have to pretty much wait patiently as you let the initial suction loosen up.
The sixth was Jericho which was a wall they had made that you had to climb over. Not so bad. The seventh was Paul Bunyan's revenge. There were probably 6 piles of down logs that you had to jump over.
The eighth was called the last gap. You ran up to this big pit that had slides into this waist deep pretty stinking cold water. It was kinda nice though because it washed off most of the big nasty. You had a little ways to go through the deep water (it was deep enough some people swam!) and then you had a hill to go up and down into more water. This repeated 4 times. Running through water is exhausting! As you went on though the water got more and more shallow.
The nineth was pole pit. They had made these make shift bridges that you had to crawl under. It was deep enough that I could have my arms straight out and could barely touch the bottom. So it was this strange kind of treading water/swimming/running. That was probably my least favorite because there was a high probability of getting muddy water in your mouth... and in your ears and hair. haha.
Overall we had a blast! I think next year we are going to get a four person team together to do it. We did it in 37 minutes, which wasn't to bad all things considered! :) I had a lot of fun and I'm glad that it could go to a good cause.
JVG
I got to participate in my first mud run this past weekend. The church that hosted was raising money for clean water also... a different organization and country, but who cares! I'm glad that they are spreading awareness and helping meet the needs of those who are without. It was a 5K run with 9 obstacles... I thought the 5K part wasn't going to be a problem, but I was SO TIRED. It was a 2.5K loop, so we did all the obstacles twice. I ran with a friend of Gaetan's, Parker, who was really good at the obstacles! We had a lot of fun, got super muddy, and the church raised $35,000! Which is awesome!
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| Me and Parker before and after the race. Notice his not so white shirt anymore... |
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| L to R (clockwise): Getting out of the last obstacle. Going into the last gap. Getting across the last gap. Getting out of the last obstacle. Finishing!! |
The second obstacle was called the vertical plague. Now, the course was in the woods so it was more of a trail mud run... but this was quite the hill! I was surprised at how hilly the whole thing was, but this was a pretty substantial hill.
The third was called tire trouble. One of the sponsors of this was a CrossFit gym and they brought their huge tires that we had to run over. It wasn't so bad, but the tires had different toughness so some of them where real squishy and others hard, so the footing was tricky.
The fourth was called snake belly. They had these long tubes that you had to crawl through. Not so bad because I'm not that tall ;) I pretty much bear crawled through it because I didn't think it would feel so nice on my knees to crawl.
The fifth was called the Big Nasty. And in my opinion was the hardest. I have no idea what they did to this mud but it would be more accurately described as quick sand. I took two steps in and I sunk in thigh deep! I saw this guy who was stuck and had 3 people trying to help him out... I sympathized. People lost shoes in there it was so insane! I tipped over because it was so hard to get out and I had probably an inch of mud caked on both sides of my hands and up to my mid forearm. It was intense. That obstacle probably took the longest just because you would get stuck and then you would have to pretty much wait patiently as you let the initial suction loosen up.
The sixth was Jericho which was a wall they had made that you had to climb over. Not so bad. The seventh was Paul Bunyan's revenge. There were probably 6 piles of down logs that you had to jump over.
The eighth was called the last gap. You ran up to this big pit that had slides into this waist deep pretty stinking cold water. It was kinda nice though because it washed off most of the big nasty. You had a little ways to go through the deep water (it was deep enough some people swam!) and then you had a hill to go up and down into more water. This repeated 4 times. Running through water is exhausting! As you went on though the water got more and more shallow.
The nineth was pole pit. They had made these make shift bridges that you had to crawl under. It was deep enough that I could have my arms straight out and could barely touch the bottom. So it was this strange kind of treading water/swimming/running. That was probably my least favorite because there was a high probability of getting muddy water in your mouth... and in your ears and hair. haha.
Overall we had a blast! I think next year we are going to get a four person team together to do it. We did it in 37 minutes, which wasn't to bad all things considered! :) I had a lot of fun and I'm glad that it could go to a good cause.
JVG
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