Something rare is happening in Southern California - it's raining.  Due to that circumstance, the promised vlog didn't happen. However that didn't stop me from thinking of something creative to share with you.  I'm actually MORE excited to share this post with you. 

We've started working on our yard again... well, we've continued in the ever expanding project that is the back half of our property.  Spring is in the air, and amongst all of the turmoil that is going on in the world, I must forge on with my own little plot of it.  I do this to remember my part on this earth and not get lost in it while remembering the stories of my neighbors near and far. 

My friend Leah said last week, "I love coming to your house because there is always something new popping up."  Translation: You all are nuts and just keep working on your yard/house/life. :)

Fear abounds; on blogs, television, schools, nations, churches. Fear seeps in and makes us cling to the comfort of what we know which leads to a false sense of security. Fear denies, pushes away and closes off. Fear makes us forget that sacrifice is necessary for life.

Perfection, for me, was the mask hiding my fear.  I only handled matters I knew something about and pretended to know about issues I did not understand. But something shifted as I learned to take the mask off.  I didn't need to know all of the answers any more.  A change occurred in my soul as I became teachable from other people's experiences and stories. Together we could make a way through the fuzziness to be seen and so much of life is about just being visible to one another.

My life is starting to feel a bit Bridget Jones'-ish.  Not in the sense that I plan on running down the street in my underwear any time soon.  Rather, this past week has been a time of expecting one thing and getting another.  Seems a tad appropriate considering New Years, a time of expectations, is upon us all.  I'm already having to release them, my expectations that is. I'm struck by the sentiment in Bridget Jones: "I like you... just as you are."  But I'm not speaking of a partner, but of my kitchen.

For the past two and a half years, Nate and I have completely remodeled an almost 100 year home that was in poor condition.  The old owners couldn't keep up with marathon (or triathlon) of cracking plaster, roof leaks, galvanized pipes, and tired wood cabinets.  We thought it would be cosmetic, but a kitchen remodel, new pipes, lights, and flooring later... just to give you a glimpse, has left us proud, but also tired at times of the wiles of a home that has lived through more wars with itself and the country than I care to mention.