UK or bust...

...so the cats out of the bag...

Kevin and I booked our tickets to the UK a few weeks ago!

i'm ecstatic!

one of the things I adore about my hubs is that he is so adventurous and spontaneous. he loves clicking "purchase" buttons on airfare websites, and so do I, so naturally we fit. I think this trip will take us up to our 35th country, or something like that!

our trip will take us to Ireland, Scotland and England, for 3 weeks baby! we wasted no time in ordering the master's guide...Rick Steve's UK and Ireland! and we've been sneaking in travel plans here and there (ie: on car rides, picnics, and embarrassingly enough, we spent dinner a few nights ago glued to a Rick Steve's Hulu show on Ireland. yes, you can say it, we are nerds!)

we are fleshing out plans, but let me give you some of my initial thoughts on things we want to see:

Keizy and Fam:

this whole trip was born out of the fact that my roommate from college (the lovely Keiz) now lives with her hubby and sweet pea in the North of England. She's only over there a few years, and Kevin and I were NOT going to miss the chance to visit them. So yes, she's my excuse to validate our reason to go:) And i'm SO excited to see her and the town she calls home:) and excited to laugh....I don't know what it is about this girl, but we get strange when we get together. so yes, let the giggles begin.

Highclere Castle in England:

if you've seen Downton Abbey, then you will recognize this castle as the Grantham's humble (errr not so humble) abode! OMG! When I figured out it was a 50 min train ride from London, I knew there was NO way we were going to miss it! I'm going to walk around like Lady Mary, and of course Kevin will have to assume the role of Matthew..ohhh it will b sooooo romantic:) And if you haven't seen Downton Abbey then you are missing out on the best show EVER. you should believe me too (even though I don't watch any tv.... or own one!)

Anything Jane Austin:

I have been a Jane Austin addict since I first picked up the dusty Pride and Prejudice from the library in high school. I'm THAT girl that adores the 5 hour P&P (to my husband and probably the world's chagrin), the 2005 P&P, Gwenie in Emma, and pretty much anything that has to do with Miss Austin herself! My BFF who lives in England just sent me a JA postcard, telling me there is a JA museum in the town close to where she lives. score!!! We are SO going. I'm also thinking we'll go to Bath too...maybe reenact some Persuasion? My goal before we leave for the UK is for Kevin to sit all 5 hours as we watch Elizabeth and Darcy fall in love...really, is there any better love story? Wish me luck and no fast forwarding!

Cliffs of Ireland!!:

let's be honest, that movie Leap Year was a tad (or MORE) ridiculous. But...I would watch that movie again just to see the scenery. Um...so fantastic it was by FAR my favorite character in that movie. when what's his name was proposing to what's her name, all I could focus on (obvi) is the cliffs over the ocean and the sun illuminating the green hillside. Gahh...maybe i'll make Kevin recreate that scene with me. Hmmm...another movie i'm going to have to coerce him into watching with me! (hmmm....i'm sensing a trend with recreating movie scenes. don't worry, it's probably more fun to imagine recreating it than actually recreating it and feeling really embarrassed when other tourists are embarrassed for you, and awkward laughter ensues...)

Irish Music

i'm not kidding, one of my fantasies has always been irish clogging. no joke. i used to watch Lord of the Dance for fun totally crushing on Michael Flatlley and wishing i get down with those crazy shoes. and this was like last year. my goal is to find a good irish pub, cement my rear to the seat, and tap my feat to some good ol' fashion irish jigs and live my dream. it will happen. and if you see my name featured on a lord of the dance youtube, don't be surprised. and don't watch it. please.

Freedom's family:

our good friend Tony and Dayna are some of the coolest people we know. they love Jesus and live in a super diverse part of London where they just LOVE their neighbors well. and they have a daughter named Freedom, and she is pretty much the epitome of her name. we are staying with them, hoping to soak up London and learn and touch and feel and sense what Abba is doing in that city. so pumped for fellowship with them. did I mention they are like the coolest ever?

Scotland:

seriously, I know nothing about this country that's technically not a country but is a country. confusing right? i mean, i know all the neccessary info like that Prince William went to college there at St Andrews, and Nessie is roaming in a loch, and that William Wilbeforce did something in a kilt, and that scotch made it's debut there. the essentials, right? so yeah, I guess I still have EVERYTHING to learn about this mystical country.

thankfully our buddy Rick can fill in a few gaps. yes, yes we are SO excited to go. and thankful that sweet Jesus has provided so much for this trip already for us!

looking forward to adventure and sweet JOY with those that I love!!

and ps- travel tips are welcome!!

love katie

our day with the sweet boys

kevin and I have fallen in love.

the objects of our affection are 7 year old KC and 5 year old JT.

they live across the way from us, and today as we got home, they came rushing out of their house, screaming our names, and showing us with sweet hugs.

i love that as we keep our lives open for surprises, God does just that, he surprises us with treasures. these boys are our treasures, no doubt about it.

so today we set aside our plans, and spent the whole afternoon with these two cuties. i'm glad we did. we tasted the kingdom of God.

we decided to make pizza. the boys LOVE cooking with us. they are my sidekicks when i cook or bake. and let's be honest..have you ever seen a sidekick as cute as THIS? look at that smile...gahhh, so precious!

while i was doing the dishes, Kevin read to the boys, "taught" some guitar, and pointed out on the map where our sponsored children live. can i just say that i fell in love with my husband a little bit more today? handsome AND fatherly inclined! win win.

i'm dying laughing from this picture. JT was plugging his nose when I put the pesto on the pizza.....evidently pesto is not universally loved.

KC: Where's the cheese?

Me: I'm allergic to cheese!

KC: You're afraid of CHEESE? why? it's not scary.

and evidently olives look like humpty dumpty's hat. i'm not sure where that one came from, but they were insistent that i put his hat on our pizza.

Before the boys leave, they always give kev a handshake and me a hug. it's like our little ritual. mmmm, i LOVE these boys!

thanking sweet Jesus for reminding me that life is about the journey, not about my to-do list. because had I put laundry or cleaning in front, i would have missed out on the laughter and joy of being in community with abba's most precious ones.

matthew 19:14

Jesus said "let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these"

enjoy today sweet friends, and delight in the unexpected and surprises of our loving God...

love Katie

toothy grin and hearty chuckle...counting our thanks

Yippeeeee it's the weekend:) Hope yours is beautiful...

This past week I had so many lovely reminders of sweet blessings in my life:) Have you read Ann VosKamp's book called "1000 gifts"? It is a call to Gratitude, of cultivating a thankful spirit that ushers us deeper into the heart of God. Kevin and I talk a lot about sowing seeds of thanksgiving. Just today, he came up to me with a HUGE smile on his face, and thanked me by showering me with kisses for cleaning our room and making our bed. His deep gratitude for such a small act of service rendered me all smiles the rest of the day:) Truly, when we are grateful, we walk with deeper JOY:)

Here are a few things I am grateful for this past week:

1) Our sweetest dearest neighbors surprising us with so much LOVE in the forms of cupcakes, and pens, and taquitos. If I have my choice to live anywhere in the world and have any neighbors in the world, I would choose mine. How can you not fall in love with little KC's face below as he presents me with a gift of a flower pen? Or the cute chicas who surprised me with potato taquitos one day...we had SUCH a feast!

2) Delish gluten and dairy free meals! 6 months ago I found out I am allergic to both gluten and dairy. Um....WHAT DO I EAT NOW (especially when your husband's family owns a bagel cafe!) But honestly, the Lord has been SO good and gracious, and has provided resources beyond belief! Not only have I found some incredibly delicious recipes, but God provided a new friend named Chelsea who has the same allergies. We get together every other week and try out a new recipe~ if you have food allergies, let's talk! I have some sweet recipes and I want your favorites!!

3) Discovering that paradise is only 5 minutes from my house! My college roomie came to visit and we stumbled upon the Arboretum at Cal State Fullerton. It's gorgeous! There are plants from ALL around the world, and it is so lush. In the middle of winter everything was in full bloom (thank you LORD for abundance sunshine!!)....we felt dignified strolling the grounds and trying to pronounce the real names of all the flora!

{my not so dignified two thumbs up pose. classy, right?}

4) Neighbors coming to play at our house! Seriously, we LOVE the sounds of a full house...laughter and curiosity and Spanish and squeals of delight! Our house is always open and always full. We thank God for an abundance of opportunities to live in community!

I hope you are filled with gratitude today:) Much much love....Katie

Joy to your heart

Happy Monday! Today as I was getting ready for work, I was thinking about JOY. In times of pain, it is hard to set our hearts in a rhythm of joyfulness. And of course my friend Henri decided to give me some encouragement on the issues of JOY (see below). May you and I be encouraged today to let JOY flow from hard circumstances. It's not in our nature...so let's pray that God's power and spirit will move in great ways to allow us to taste his overflowing joy in our lives:)

Thanks Henri for this lovely reminder....

Choosing Joy

Joy is what makes life worth living, but for many joy seems hard to find. They complain that their lives are sorrowful and depressing. What then brings the joy we so much desire? Are some people just lucky, while others have run out of luck? Strange as it may sound, we can choose joy. Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other. One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise. The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it.

What makes us human is precisely this freedom of choice.

Also...Happy birthday to my dear sweet friend Rachel, who is a JOY to be around! I love this girl...(and Happy late birthday to my other sweet JOY Michelle). I love both you girls SO much!

{Meesh, Rach and I all giving our best "come hither" faces....I think mine is an epic fail!}