An interesting day in history.

I have a tradition that, every day on my way to work, I stop at the same gas station and pick up the same evening staples for my shift: two bottles of water, a Sprite, and a treat. The other day, though, I added an item and grabbed a bottle of Apple-Cran-Raspberry juice (which was delicious!). But the thing that got me really excited about this juice, besides the taste, was that the "best by ___" date is the same as mine and Josh's 1-year wedding anniversary!

I know, it's silly, but I love when I see meaningful dates in unexpected places. It reminds me of the event and warms the cockels of my heart.

Thinking about our anniversary, and what a special day our wedding was, I thought I'd do some research to see what other big events in history may have happened on that day (not that our wedding is listed on Wikipedia or anything). So for your reading pleasure, and to fill my history-geekiness quota for the week, here's a list of important events that happened on our wedding anniversary...

{ 1500 } Alexander Ales is born! Can I get an "amen" for Reformation?!
{ 1564 } "A rose by any other name..." Happy birthday to good ol' Billy Shakespeare!
{ 1635 } The first Public School in the United States opens (yay, education!). Learn more about the Boston Latin School.
{ 1661 } In Westminster Abbey, King Charles II is crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland.
{ 1910 } President Theodore Roosevelt makes his famous speech, "Citizenship in a Republic," (aka "The Man in the Arena") at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. This great speech was later quoted by President Richard Nixon in his acceptance speech on November 6, 1968 (my dad's 16th birthday!), then 6 years later in his resignation speech. And if you're a fan of the movie "Invictus," know this: the poem that Nelson Mandela gave Pienaar before the 1995 World Cup Rugby match was actually a copy of this famous speech and not the poem for which the movie is named. Sneaky, sneaky Hollywood.
{ 1928 } Happy Birthday to Shirley Temple! Growing up, everyone told me I looked like her due to my curly hair. She's still one of my all-time favorite actresses, and I frequently used her as an example of leadership in some of my school assignments.
{ 1949 } In China, the People's Liberation Army Navy is established.
{ 1954 } Canadians should've started locking their doors on this day... Michael Moore was born.
{ 1968 } The anti-Vietnam protest begins at Columbia University with students overtaking administration buildings and shutting down the university. This scene has been depicted in a fantastic movie by Julie Taymor, "Across the Universe," which is set entirely to the music of the Beatles (it's a must-watch!). It should also be noted that American terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, was born on this fateful day. Yuck!
{ 1985 } Coca-Cola makes a daring attempt to change their formula, introducing New Coke, but changes the formula back after only 3 months due to such poor response.
{ 1993 } Cesar Chavez passes away.
{ 1998 } James Earl Ray, the man convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., dies in prison from hepatitis C. On a side note, I found out on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day that someone I know's grandfather was one of the FBI agents involved in the arrest of Ray for the murder of Dr. King. What a neat piece of family history to have!
And guess what holiday falls on April 23rd annually? Hint: It has me more excited than finding the date on my juice bottle... Canada Book Day! I know I'm not Canadian, but any country's holiday to celebrate reading and books has my vote! Besides, our wedding had a book-theme to it, as did our engagement photos.

| engagement photos by nerissa |

| wedding photos by becky |

What's an important date to you, and what are some of the interesting things that happened on that day in history? Seriously, I want to know!

Before I Was a Mommy

Well it's the third entry of my little 'Before I Was a Mommy' series... and just in time, too! I went to the doctor today and it looks like I'll be a full-fledged mommy by Friday. They'll admit me on Wednesday evening, at which point I'll get a foley to help with dilation and softening of the cervix (sorry... TMI?), an induction on Thursday morning-ish, and then they think our little baby boy will be born sometime Friday. Phew!

This picture was taken the Wednesday after April 23, 2011. I know this because our wedding was April 23, 2011 and while on our honeymoon we decided that the following Wednesday (my favorite day of the week) would be the day we went on an ATV ride on the Rice family land in Kauai. It was stunning weather! Here I am posed on the quad of my choice. I'd never been on one before, and since I did so poorly during the practice session, they put me first in line behind the leader so I'd be close to someone in the likely case of an accident. I actually never hurt myself or was otherwise endangered while on the ATV... but as soon as I stepped off, it was an entirely different story. I fell EVERY TIME I got off the ATV, no joke. At one point the tour guides just looked at me with disbelief as I sailed past them down a dirt hill, on my butt, then did a 180-degree turn and landed cross-legged on the ground in front of them. I also ripped off my left pinky nail while flying into the river on the rope swing that was used in the filming of "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark." Yup... believe it.

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of me and my mom. It was taken at my paternal grandparents' home in Montebello, California - a suburb of Los Angeles. A little yellow stucco house on Hay Street, with a lemon tree and a few dahlias in the front yard, and that backed up to a couple hundred acres of land owned by the county and filled with thousands upon thousands of Bird of Paradise flowers. This was the first trip we took to see my grandparents after I was born.

This picture was taken on September 11, 2011. What's typically known as a solemn day in our country's history, Josh and I decided to celebrate and share our blessing with our friends and family. We found out the day before that we were expecting our first baby, and couldn't wait more than 24 hours before announcing it (via Facebook, of course) to everyone we knew! We took this picture with the positive pregnancy test result and posted it. On a side note, the shirt I'm wearing in this photo was my favorite t-shirt and it was ruined by a prenatal vitamin-induced Thai dinner vomit session just a month later. 

It's me! Somewhere around 1990, I believe. This photo was taken when I was in pre-school at a Lutheran church on the island I grew up on. At that age I was able to spell my last name (a very long, complicated, extremely German last name that I only knew how to spell because my mom taught me using the Mickey Mouse Club song), but I absolutely refused to learn how to write my first name. I knew all the letters of the alphabet, but when coloring a picture or turning in an "assignment," I'd write whatever collection of random letters looked the loveliest to me.



Taken on our wedding day, April 23, 2011. I was just getting the finishing touches done on my hair and makeup. While I'd spent hours pouring over photos of wedding-day hair and birdcage veils, I spent almost no time thinking about my makeup. I'd actually found a picture on the inside cover of some weekly celebrity magazine of Drew Barrymore and I adored her makeup in the photo - fresh, natural, and just a little peachy. Unfortunately, it wasn't until about 2am the day of the wedding that I realized I didn't own any makeup that would give me the look I wanted. So while running to Safeway to pick up a few last-minute things, I threw a couple makeup items in my basket and prayed for the best the next day. In retrospect, I wish I'd done something a bit more dramatic, but then again... it didn't really matter what I looked like as soon as I came around the corner and saw my future husband staring at me with all the love in the world.

Yes, that's a real chimp. And yes, he's sitting on my lap. His name was Archie and my mom and I met him at the Evergreen State Fair when I was about 7 or 8 years old. We were walking around the fair at night, enjoying the cool summer breeze, when I spotted a tent with a sign that said "Get your picture taken with a real monkey!" My mom thought it was crazy and must be some kind of joke, but low-and-behold, they sat us down on a bench and said Archie would be brought right in. I started to laugh with my mouth wide open, when suddenly I sensed something coming down on me from above. Without closing my mouth, I looked up and got a mouth full of monkey butt - luckily, as you can tell from the pictures, he was wearing pants!

Another shot from our honeymoon, this too was taken during the 4-hour ATV trip through the Rice family land on Kauai. In fact, if you read the story above about me sliding down a hill and doing a complete 180, this photo was taken about 3 minutes later. You can see a waterfall behind us, only reachable by climbing across some mildly slippery rocks, which we were strongly advised to not attempt. 

This picture is so fun! Taken when I was about 6 or so, at the apartments my mom and I lived in when we first left the island. When we got all moved into the complex, my mom ended up befriending another single mother and they found out their daughters were right around the same age. In the middle of the photo is Adrienne, and she quickly became my best friend. Her little brother, Aaron, was also a lot of fun and the three of us spent most of our time together as our moms would trade off babysitting shifts and have play dates together. We spent a lot of time at the pool in the summer, or at one of the playgrounds in our apartment complex.

Anniversary and Baby-Moon Weekend: Part Two

Now that I've officially procrastinated an inexcusable amount of time, and I'm being induced in just a couple days, I figured now is as good a time as any to finish showing you pictures from our great weekend away to San Juan Island. We were celebrating our 1-year wedding anniversary and taking a little baby-moon trip, all rolled into one. To see the first part of our trip, go here.

On our second day, after visiting the gorgeous Roche Harbor marina, we continued along the western side of the island. At one stop, just past the historic English Camp, we got a beautiful view of Canada! A bit further down the road, we got to see the gorgeous Pelindaba Lavender Farm (though it's still a couple weeks away from being in bloom).

We finally made the full circle around the island (in about an hour and a half, no less!), and came back to Friday Harbor to mill around the main street. We stopped by a fantastic little bookstore called Griffin Bay Bookstore (where we bought a few new books for Isaiah), checked out a specialty kitchen shop (where we got Isaiah a really cute Dr. Seuss lunch pail), then grabbed some delicious ice cream to eat while we sat by the marina (because Isaiah was craving dairy... yeah, let's go with that). 

At one point, a float plane started to take off and Josh got some incredible pictures of it lifting off from the water. Just look at these pictures! Swoon...

After we made the ferry trip back to the mainland (and sat through a ridiculous line at Border Patrol), we decided to head back to where it all happened one year earlier... French Creek Estates in Snohomish, Washington. This is the historic farmhouse where, next to the marriage certificate of the original owners of the farm (circa 1800's), we said our vows and became man and wife.

It's been a long year, in some respects, and in others it seems to have flown right on by without us even knowing it. But through it all, God has been great and gracious. He has grown us closer together in times of hurt, he has refined us through the fire, and he has given our hearts the ability to grow in capacity for care and understanding. We've seen miracles laid before us, and we've danced - sans umbrella - during showers of blessings and love. We haven't been perfect, and we will always fall short of the perfection found in our Savior, but together we know that God is using us for bigger purposes than we could ever have dreamed to fulfill on our own. We have the distinct privilege of waking up next to our best friend every morning, telling them we love them, encouraging them throughout the day, and using the experiences we've had to speak into others lives, all to the glory of God. And that... well that is certainly worth celebrating.

| our wedding day - photo by rebecca rose photography |

| one year later |

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Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Lavender Cookies

 Mmm... can you smell it? It's lavender season, and I'm so glad!

You may know lavender as just a pretty, calming smell - but did you know it's also equally fantastic when introduced to your tastebuds? Truth. The taste is mild, just like the scent, and can really accentuate other flavors in multiple recipes. Lavender lemonade, for example, is a great twist on a summer classic. Or add lavender to a creamy or sweet sauce poured over chicken breasts. Another great recipe I've found, which I'd like to share with y'all today, is for chocolate-dipped (I know, I could stop right there) lavender cookies (oh but it was so much better after I finished the sentence).

While they may not be the prettiest of photos, even with doctoring from PicMonkey, I promise you that these little tea-style cookies are absolutely delicious. With a little more patience and practice, I definitely could've made them look prettier.

Chocolate-Dipped Lavender Cookies

What You'll Need:

• A medium mixing bowl
• Electric mixer
• Parchment paper
• Cookie sheets
• A cooling rack
• A medium saucepan or another medium bowl (which one you use will be determined by how hoity-toity you're feeling in the kitchen that day)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups of self-rising flour
• 1 Tbsp. lavender flowers (try to find culinary flowers, as you don't want anything that's been treated with oils or chemicals - or if you really like lavender like I do, grow your own!)
• 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (this could be a plain candy bar that you chop/break up, or Wilton's makes great chocolate melts)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In your medium bowl, beat the butter with your electric mixer for about 30 seconds on medium to high speed.
3. Add the sugar and egg, then beat until combined.
4. Add as much of the flour as you can, combining with the mixer, and mix the rest of the flour and the lavender in by hand if necessary. Make sure it's mixed thoroughly.
5. Drop your dough by the teaspoon, about 2 inches apart, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes, monitoring closely for browning/darkening around the edges of the cookies - you only want them to be golden on the edges. Once golden, remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Now here's where you decide if you want to be a show-off or not. You have to melt chocolate, which can be scary because sometimes it will come out grainy or get a not-so-lovely burnt taste to it... because you burned it. 

"Paula Deen Ain't Got Nothin' On Me" Method
In a medium sauce pan, melt your chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally. A double-boiler might be another good alternative. 

Easy, Smart Method for People Who Don't Have Their Own Cooking Show
Pop the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl, then microwave for 30 seconds. If the chocolate pieces are not melted, continue microwaving in bursts of 10-15 seconds, until thoroughly melted.

Once you have your melted chocolate, dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate and place it back on the parchment paper so the chocolate can harden. Tip: Dip the uglier half of your cookie in the chocolate to cover up any baking flaws. 

You should end up with about 48 cookies, depending on how heaping your teaspoons were. :) Enjoy!

| Linking Up With |
I Heart Naptime // The Sundae Scoop
Blessed With Grace // Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Meeting the surgeon, and other updates.

It happened. The doctor put me on bed rest. The thing is, despite how much I've praised her and her accomplishments in her field, I think she's wrong - and at no fault of her own. Turns out that I get extremely nervous when I go to her office (uhm, duh!), which raises my blood pressure just in time for them to chart it and say that I have hypertension. However, when I get home and test my blood pressure myself with a hospital-calibrated machine, not only am I not hypertensive but I'm also not pre-hypertensive - I'm in the normal and healthy range! Still, I'll try to take it easy until I see her again on Sunday for a check-up. If the high blood pressure continues, though, induction might be in my near future.

Yesterday was a day that I had looked forward to for a while. Part excitement, part nerves, and part apprehension. Yesterday, we were fortunate enough to meet the man who will be performing our son's heart surgeries.

I say "fortunate" very deliberately. "Blessed" could be an equally fitting term, as well. If you think about the intricacies with Isaiah's complex congenital heart defects (read more about it here, here and here), and the fact that medical technology wasn't advanced enough to detect some of the key issues even a few years ago... it's astounding. God really does bring us into a time and place for a reason! How great is that?

So yesterday afternoon, Josh and I ventured off to Seattle Children's hospital to meet the surgeon we'll be working with. Like I said, we were a mixture of nerves and excitement, with the atmosphere in the car inflating and deflating like a balloon going from hot summer days to cold arctic nights. We'd laugh, then fall silent, then comment on the traffic, then laugh some more... it really is the best medicine. So when we pulled into the parking garage (each level named after a different animal and/or color), Josh made the astute observation that the garage we were parked in must have been named in honor of Snooki from Jersey Shore...

| get it...? an orange whale...? i know, it's funny because it's true |

The meeting with Dr. P went great - he was very informative, kind, and allowed me to see a whole new level of nerdiness mixed with humor. Jokes were made, serious matters were discussed, and it did get a little intense at one point. When explaining our options for the first surgery, we essentially have two but will not know which one we can use until they're able to do a direct echocardiogram on Isaiah.

Option 1 is a non-surgical procedure! A cardiologist would take a needle that is filled with a small, deflated tube (called a stent), and inject it into Isaiah's patent ductus arteriosis (or PDA) - the only thing allowing the blood to get to his lungs at this point. No incisions. No stitches. Just a needle! This might be an option if the cardiologist is happy with Isaiah's heart function, and if his PDA is in a good position without too much curvature. This method would also mean a much, much shorter recovery time for Isaiah and should carry him through until his next surgery is needed - around 3-6 months old. However, this method has a higher chance of not lasting as long as we'd like it to.

Option 2 is surgical... seriously surgical. Please be aware that the information I'm about to give could be disturbing - you may want to skip to the next section. The surgery would take place at Children's and would be lead by Dr. P himself, per our request and his acquiesce. An incision would be made, running vertically from the top to the bottom of the breast bone, and a rib-spreader would be used to open up his chest cavity. A heart/lung machine would be nearby in case it was needed. Then, a shunt made of Gortex would be sewn from one of the aorta's branches directly to the pulmonary artery. The PDA would be allowed to close, since this tube would be functioning in it's place. This method is, obviously, much more invasive so it has a longer recovery time - about 2 weeks in the hospital, plus another 4-6 weeks at home where we would only be allowed to scoop Isaiah up instead of lifting him from under his arms due to the rib damage. He would be in an extreme amount of pain, would likely need more medications than option 1, but the gortex would last longer and carry him further along until his second surgery would be necessary. The second and third surgeries, called the Glenn and the Fontan, would be through the same incision as this first surgery - that concerns us because of potential scar tissue build-up.

Please, join us in steadfast prayer for the coming weeks. Specifically, we are praying that Isaiah would be able to make it to his due date to give him the best chance at a healthy start as possible. And when his surgery does take place, please pray that option 1 would be the method that the doctors feel will suit his needs best and that his heart would be a good candidate for it. We appreciate your love and support during this time and wish you all the best!

Anniversary and Baby-Moon Weekend: Part 1

So I'm a little late in posting this, but April 23rd was our first wedding anniversary! Yay! I can't believe how fast the past year has gone by, and all the craziness that it has held. So to celebrate this big milestone, Josh and I decided to take a little trip away - part anniversary celebration, but also part baby-moon since little Isaiah will be here in about 3 weeks.

A little while back, I got a fantastic deal on LivingSocial: A one-night stay in a view room at Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island (the best hotel IMO), with a complimentary appetizer in the hotel's restaurant (which is rated one of the top restaurants on the island), handmade chocolate truffles upon arrival, and a bottle of wine (though this wasn't the clincher because neither of us drink). All of this for only $180! We decided to use it on a Sunday night to avoid crowds, since you have to take a (beautiful!) ferry ride to get to the island.

| on the ferry, headed to friday harbor |

I seriously cannot speak highly enough of the hotel we stayed at. The staff were all fantastically cheerful, welcoming, and helpful. They gave us great suggestions on places to see and things to do while we were on the island. The accommodations were immaculate and absolutely romantic, with stellar views to boot!

| the view from our hotel room - no joke |

The hotel's restaurant, The Bluff, was also exceptional. They get all (or as many as possible) of their ingredients from the local farms and vendors, so everything is as fresh as can be. At The Bluff, we dined on appetizers like flatbread with nettle pesto and barbecued pork (and tiny purple flowers), plus dungeness crab cakes with bull kelp tartar sauce. We chose the same entree - buttermilk fried chicken breast with broccoli and a sweet potato waffle, accompanied by rhubarb gravy. Sensational! For dessert, Josh got the creme brulee and I mowed down on the apple tart with rosemary and vanilla ice cream from the nearby Lopez Island Creamery.

| the harbor and marina at night |

The next day, we enjoyed a tasty (and complimentary - thankyouvermuch!) breakfast on the bluff, overlooking the harbor and the ferry dock. Homemade bagels, quiche, steelhead pate, pear jam and apple butter... yum!

After breakfast, we decided to drive around the island. Our first stop was in Roche Harbor, which is absolutely idyllic. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Roche Harbor used to be a lime and cement mixing town, and many of the streets are still paved with the bricks that have the different company names stamped in them, like Cowen and Carr. They also still have the lime kilns open, though they're now surrounded by apple blossoms and incredibly handsome husbands... ;)

We saw so much on the trip, and got so many great pictures, that this will definitely have to be a multi-entry blog. So check back soon for more pictures from our trip to the San Juans!

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Let's Go On A Date