Birthday Bests

 

1. Beard nets during our tour at Celestial Seasonings.

2. The old white man, who after having a five minute conversation in fluid English, asked us so nicely, "What country are ya'll from?" to which Aimee answered just as politely, "We're from the country of Los Angeles!" I laughed so loud, I just couldn't hold it in. Oh, rural America white people.

3. Sensitivity Antennas

4. The Bloody Good Chef's Salad and the Mahalo Sandwich from the awesome restaurant Dish. Oh, and how can I forget the best snickerdoodle cookie EVER, dense, soft and yet slighty crispy on the far edges YUM YUM - perfection.

5. Eating lunch in Chautauqua Park near Colorado University. It's just amazing to be sitting in a park surrounded by snow capped mountains and gentle squirrels (not to be confused with the l.a. kind of crazy assertive squirrels).

6. The yellow house on Pine and 11th.

7. Aimee's crazy driving (sorry blue car, we didn't mean to park THAT close).

8. Redstone Meadery Tour and Tasting - and the "I'm so Colorado" tour girl whose voice reminded me of the stoners from Venice.

9. Happy Hour at Brasserie Ten Ten! Gruyere and jamon crepes, hummus with grilled pitas, frittes with garlic aioli, brie & peaches with roasted garlic and crostini's all for a whopping $12!!! Eat your heart out Melis!

10. Altitude and everything that does to your digestive system.

11. Dutch apple, peanut butter chocolate, vegan pumpkin spice (yes, don't judge it was actually good), and red velvet with cream cheese frosting cupcakes from Boulder Baked.

12. Aimee & her Crack, and her amazing skill at getting us to and from places.

13. And the ultimate was my two favorite girls in the whole world singing happy birthday and sharing cupcakes with me. I just love them both so much.

Because of them and those of you who sent Bday wishes it truly was a Birthday Best. Thank you!

 

Linda

Many of you have heard the joyous news of the impending marriage of Linda Isbister and Richard Flach. To say we are excited is quite an understatement. Here's a recap on some of the best moments to date:

1. The News
I was late to bible study about a month ago. I decided to stop in anyway to say hi to everyone. It was truly divine intervention that made me stop by. It was over by the time I got there but Linda called me into the old library for an announcement. My heart dropped because, well with the cancer and all, you never know what news is to come. When she told me that Richard had asked her to marry him I screamed and then I cried. Yes, I actually screamed and yes, I actually cried after.

What people don't realize is that Linda has been asking God to provide her with a husband for over 30 years. Her heart's desire has been to love and be loved by a man. She has never been unconditionally romantically loved by a man. She has struggled with loneliness and self-worth. She has never been truly appreciated by a man for her outward and inward beauty, her spiritual gifts, her gentleness, her devotion to Jesus, and her heart for people.

God has promised to take care of those who love Him, and to provide them with the desires of their heart. Linda has an incurable cancer in the later stages of her life, and yet God chose this time to answer her prayers. I know that God heard her aching heart and knew just the man for her.

2. The Dress
Last Saturday, on a whim mom, linda, Aimee, Melissa, and I decided to head to David's Bridal in Torrance to see what's out there. When we walked in a few people in the entrance had the look of shock on their faces when she was the one to sit down and fill out the bridal paper work. Linda hasn't been treated very well by people, and although she didn't see them, Aimee and I did.

All of our fears washed away when we met, Lucy, our bridal consultant. She took one look at Linda and joyously took her under her wing. Linda was not only worried that they wouldn't have anything in her size, but she was concerned that people would think it was silly that someone of her age would be shopping for a wedding dress. Lucy, in her own unique way, gave Linda permission to enjoy the experience. She was amazing.

She tried on three dresses. By the time she was putting on her third dress, the entire shop knew Linda's story. No, this was not an anniversary party. Yes, this is her first marriage. Yes, she has cancer. The best part is that all the other brides there, and all their parties were so excited for Linda. Everyone, including the other consultants were rooting for her. And when she came out in the third dress we knew it was "the One".

I can't really explain the moment that happened right then. But Linda looked in the mirror and was silent for ten minutes. She just kept looking at herself. I asked her if she was okay and she said to me, in a way that was so in awe of what she saw, "I really do look beautiful, don't I?" She could barely believe it. It broke my heart. It was like she had never believed that she was that gorgeous until that moment.

Afterwards we celebrated at Coffee Bean and then headed to Henry and Betty's to show them the dress. We put everything on again and Betty did her hair and make up. Henry said later that watching Linda he realized it was the first time she has ever felt like she was worth it. And because of that gentle heart, Henry treated all of us to dinner, and celebrate we did!

Linda later told me that Saturday was one of the best days of her life. Nobody made fun of her - strangers were rejoicing with her, and she got to experience something she never thought she would ever get a chance to do.

I feel so lucky that I was privy to that moment. I praise God and thank Him for not only fulfilling the deepest desire of her heart - but for allowing her to feel whole as a beautiful woman of God.

3. Richard
There could not be a better match for Linda than Richard. He was scheduled to come visit Thanksgiving weekend, but that 'ole fool couldn't wait that long and surprised Linda by flying in last weekend. Aimee and I took Linda to pick him up at the airport and the first thing he did was give her a smack on the lips and a huge hug. Those big Texans! While we waited for his plane to arrive, Linda was so so nervous. We were sitting down by the exit doors and by the time he had arrived she had found herself standing by the entrance doors! :)

Richard lost his wife earlier this year. Linda and his wife, Judy, were best friends for a long time. Before Linda moved out here she lived with Richard and Judy for many years. Richard says that he has always had a brotherly love for Linda. But about a month ago he was talking with Linda on the phone and the Holy Spirit spoke to him and told him he loved Linda in a different way. And boy has he embraced that calling! The amount of declarations of love and cute nicknames I heard while he was here was sickening!! =) haha!

I know this is a long post - and I'm sorry as I know they can be cumbersome to read. But as the months leading to the wedding come upon us, I know I will have many more stories to add about Linda and Richard. Growing up in the church, I have seen many people fall in love and many people get married. But, by far, this is the greatest wedding I have ever witnessed because it is a story of hope, of faith, of God's provisions, and his ultimate care of those devoted to His glory.

So stay tuned!

oh yes, and P.S. I'm a bridesmaid!! woo hoo!

Our Celebration of 3.

This past Thursday was September 24th. According to the calendar, there is nothing significant about this day, but in my small world there is - Josh and I hit our three years of being "Josh and J".

The very first post for this blog was a nod to Josh and our one-year dating anniversary. As I re-read that blog I was struck with where we were then and the path we have taken till now. We are the same people, yet we are not the same. We've had our first fight...and a few to follow since then, we've cried together, laughed together, rolled our eyes at one another, and have learned to appreciate what the other appreciates. We have been through death and life, we have comforted and supported. We have gained weight and lost weight. We have exposed the side of us that we don't show to people - and yet in all that we still remain "Josh and J".

I often hear seasoned marrieds say that their love for the other person has changed, and yet deepened beyond what anyone could have imagined. I know Josh and I haven't even begun to experience that joy but I do know that I appreciate more today who he is as a person than I ever have before.

At Davey's wedding this past weekend, my cousin Stephen gave a phenomenal best man speech. One thing he shared that he has been learning in his married life is you can either give life to your spouse or take it from them. And as Josh has given me life, I too hope that he can say I have done the same for him.

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

God is stirring something within me.

On the way to Kauai, Aimee was reading a book that kept making her tear up. She blazed through it so fast by an hour into our flight she handed it to me and said it was a must read. On the way home I opened it up - and it's changing my life. Not in the big, huge so obvious type of change - but the kind of change that starts from the inside and hopefully radiates out.

Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, wrote "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" to give a testimony to what God has been doing in his church and community. The Holy Spirit preached to me through his words.

This is what stuck out to me most(the following is mostly in quotes):
When we get serious about drawing on God's power, remarkable things will happen. Even if we grow listless and lukewarm, still Christ says to his followers: "Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice & opens the door, I will come and eat with him, and He with me. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" -Rev. 3:20-22

Although this message was addressed to the Laodicean Christians, whom Jesus had just finished scolding, for he was grieved by their lethargy - yet he still offered his renewing love and power. He always forgives.

It seems like what we are dealing with today is a lack of dependence on God's power. In revelation, the churches were mainly scolded for their lack of spiritual vitality, fervency and closeness to the Lord. I am in favor, as were the Apostles, of asking God to stretch out his hand and manifest himself.

The Apostles prayer for the church in the book of Acts says, "Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness!"

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline."

We just started The Apostle Project - an experiment of 12 people who are striving to be bold in their faith within their communities. The purpose is to change the way we're living so it focused not on what we have to do - but the people God puts in our lives as we do those things. We are reshaping our vision to be Kingdom focused. I can see now that it takes much more than a change in cultural norms, it takes the work of the Holy Spirit - and we get that through prayer. I am asking the Lord to discipline my prayer life and to reshape the desires of my heart. For I am restless to do more for Christ. And I now know that this is the answer.

Go Apostles go. I am praying!

Recap of the BEST WEEK EVER

A made the most profound statement in regards to our vaca last week:

"We're terrible travelers, and GREAT vacationers."

Case in point our tumultuous departure. If you live near LAX the "rules" that they set regarding the time of check in don't really apply to you. We all know that it is quite unnecessary to be there three hours before your plane is scheduled for take off.In fact, A and I have found that one hour and fifteen is usually the optimal arrival time needed in order to ensure check in (for all those who are lame-o and don't print online), bag check, security check, bathroom stop, and starbucks run.

What we didn't take into account for this trip was the inefficiency from our airline carrier, DELTA.

Now, I will not make this into a huge rant about the terrible service, inefficiency, outdated computer systems, rude personnel, and overall worst-airline-we-have-ever-traveled-on type of post, however I will say that when I turn around after pleading with the Delta lady (who was struggling with the power trip associated with the short person syndrome) to allow us to get to the security check since our plane had boarded ten minutes prior and they were shutting the gate, and then after her rude response turn and see my sister begin to cry... Well, I will say this - I am the younger and more (if not most) protective sister you will ever know and my inner fury knew no bounds. After being cleared by a gentle TSA man, A and I huffed it to the end of the entire terminal to barely make the closing door. Sweaty, crying (A),and infuriated (me) we took a deep breath and prayed our vaca would be much much sweeter.

With that said, I can honestly say that this was hands down, by far, the best vacation I have ever been on. Not only was Kauai relaxed, under-developed, completely friendly, beautiful, and removed, but t also had the three components that made our trip what we have dubbed "The Trip of a Lifetime":

1. Our Accommodations
A and I stayed at the Princeville Westin Ocean Resort Vacation Villa Hotel. I didn't quite know how good it was going to be when I booked it from Costco, but man did we score. Absolutely the most amazing five star ISLAND GEM I have ever experienced. Not only did we walk into a stone floor, granite countertops, full kitchen, two shower head shower, jet soaking tub, plush living room, complete with glass utensils and a normal sized fridge, dish washer, and washer and dryer, the softest two bath robes you can even dream about, and a complimentary umbrella in case of rain - but the grounds (two of the top rated golf courses in the world), restaurants, and staff were all five star. It made coming home after a day on the island a pleasure.

I am a self-diagnosed germophobe and not having to worry about wearing shoes in the hotel room or in the shower or stressing about the nasty comforter on the bed, etc. was so...freeing. A and I were relaxed and so so happy.

2. The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook
Our great friend Shin offered his rad Kauai guidebook when he heard we were headed there. We didn't realize how crucial this would be to our vacation success. There was no way that we would have experienced Java Kai, our Kayak/Hike/Zipline extraordinare tour, Ocean snorkeling trip, Hanalei, Anahole, Kapa'a, and every dive restaurant that we read was a real gem. Thank you Shin!

3. My Traveling Companion
I've said it before, but I'll say it again - there is no one greater to travel with than A. Maybe it's because we're sisters, but I think it's mostly because we're our mother's daughters. We are like-minded when it comes to what it means to relax, what makes it enjoyable, how much we're willing to spend, and how much we're willing to exert physically. She's truly just the best person in the world to go to the best place in the world with. I was the driver and she was the navigator - and it could not have been a better relationship. On top of that, she's the only one I can share a bed with and still be completely comfy. :) Love you A - thanks for the best week ever.

The mosquito bites, dealing with an early checkout, time crunching with Alamo, and rushing to and from the airport were nil...I can't even complain about it because anything negative was totally overshadowed by the awesomeness of our trip. It was so good, I'll even throw our rough start in there as well.

BEST WEEK EVER.

Just A Little Bit of Heaven

A and I are in Kauai having the time of our lives. When we return home I'll post more, but for now here's a few pics to wet your appetite.
The beach view of Waimea Canyon. A much better perspective than the mosquito infested walking, riding view. :)

On the way to a snorkeling adventure on the Na PAli Coast our Captain pulled the boat into a small tunnel. It was crazy!

A and I trying to not appear nervous before we zipline across an entire forest. yikers!

The sunset one night off of the Princeville Golf Course where we stayed. Uncapturable really.

The view from the short hike down to Secret Beach.

Gone Fish'in!

This past weekend I packed up and packed in with Josh's family for a last ditch summer fishing expedition.

Apparently the best smoked bacon sandwich restaurant in Bishop. :)


Look how close the deer got!


Pontoon on Gull Lake




Josh won the biggest catch of the week. :)






Love him.

Camp

This past week we served in the Middle High program for the PCJC Family Summer Camp. Meliss, A, and I have been working MH for quite a few years now, but this year was exceptional...exceptionally hard. So fitting that our theme was "SHINE".

To give you an idea of what we experienced - We began with 65 kids and 24 staff, and by the time the (Kev deemed) "Shine-flu" had swept through us, we had 30 kids and 12 staff. The epidemic of sickness was overwhelming.

But from the massive waves of fallen peeps, I saw amazingness Shine through the darkness. I saw Shin Furukawa fight through his sickness and step up to lead the games, run the cabin times, wash and fold tshirts, make two batches of spam musubi in one night, and take the mic when no one was there to do it. Amy Ige, who already had a challenging cabin - take on a few extras after other cabin leaders were sent home with the flu, and without one word of complaining. We lost our AV girl and two guys who just came up to camp for a Friday visit, Charlie and Kei, offered to run the entire AV techie stuff...knowing there was a chance they might get sick by being around the MH program. Melissa and Aimee, for being the best moms who aren't actually moms. I don't think there was one sick child who didn't feel loved and cared for by them. Tonya for her amazing "deanness" and Scott for stepping in as a cabin leader on Thursday, caring for Yuki, and for the devotional of the week-calling on people to Shine for one another as we lost staff person after staff person. Katsuya Omine, for after being woken up on Thursday morning and being asked to speak on the fly for the last two messages (since we lost our speaker), and with no hesitation saying YES...and for the record, his last message on Shining in the Darkness reverberates in my heart even today. Shine on Kats. For Reg, Andy, and Dr. Mark for paying to take care of every sick person around the clock from Wednesday till Saturday. Josh Komata, for his tender heart at not wanting to leave because he was sick. Mrs. Koshimizu, who offered to give us her humidifier every time she ran into me. for Noah, who exceeded my expectation with his servant's heart and amazing devotion to his kids. Robbie and Daniel, for splitting up and taking on the "lost boys". Grace Mendoza for fighting through the stomach pain and for committing to the girls who were still well. Ervin, for being asked to come to camp to lead worship, but for not only rockin the sets but also learning every kids name, being our official photographer, stepping in to lead small groups, eating with kids at meal times, cleaning up on the last night, and honestly just being the most amazing servant ever. Megan Yumori, for holding off the Shine Flu until the last day. To Shawn Arata, not that he dealt with the sickenss at all, but for taking on Daniel, Ray, and Yuji - that in itself was incredible. And to my Pat, for feeling sick and still taking care of unloading the buses, making sure people got home, transferring boxes into church, and for being so awesomely in control that Melis and I felt it was okay to run to urgent care for some meds. And to everyone else who did something that I didn't even know about.

I saw a tenacity and a heart to serve God's people that I didn't know existed. I am humbled by these people and so blessed to serve alongside such warriors, who shined so brightly in the darkness that there was light.

Shine On.