Proud and Honored

When I think of my husband, I am proud.

I really don't mean that in a "not humble" way, but in an honoring and rather humble way. I am so proud to be married to David. I am proud of who he is and who he lives for and what his character is defined by. I am proud that he has chosen a road that few dare to choose for the sake of Christ and His calling for our family. I am proud that he defines his success by standards contrary to the world's. I am proud for how he honors our family and the lines that he draws to protect our family time. I am proud of his dreams and passions and how he is teachable and submissive to the Lord's guidance and Sovereignty. I am proud of how God has given him such favor and direction and wisdom and how he has led our family accordingly. I am honored to be his wife. Proud to be his wife. Honored to walk beside him and to support him.

The whole concept of marriage took me a while to grasp, especially after leaving everything that I knew and was comfortable with in Texas. Oh, but it is such a beautiful thing. It is beautiful when holy submission and joint respect work together hand in hand. And, it can. Oh it can and it is beautiful and right and holy and pleasing. I am thankful for my husband. For the father he is to Kate and how he never complains. He just does and he prays and he encourages and he rests, but he continues to do and love and serve and lead. I love him for all of these reasons and others that I can't even begin to convey with words...and really don't need to.

I remember back in grad school, when my roommate at the time, Mary, said to me, " You know that David Sullivan? He is going to be a great father one day." Now, while that is not the only reason I married this man, that comment sticks with me and I hear those words over and over again. I love that I am not the only one that sees how amazing he is with me, with our family, and especially with Kate. I am thankful that Kate will know better and more deeply the love of her Heavenly Father because of how well she is loved and disciplined and adored by her earthly one.

Your girls love you, Daddy. Thank you for how you lead and love us. You do it well.

A Wedding, An Engagement, A Reunion

A wedding.

An engagement.

A reunion.

I experienced all three last weekend in Asheville, North Carolina.

What a fabulous and crazy weekend. Asheville ranks in my Top 3 places in America to live and it was made even more special because I got to share it with my dearest friends from college (we missed you Dot!) and my newly engaged sister!!!

I feel so humbled and thankful that I was able to be there to celebrate in the marriage of Kimber-Leigh's baby sister, Katy, and the engagement of my baby sister, Stephanie. Such sweet memories. Life is full of them, but this past weekend was that much sweeter because of the significance surrounding these events and because of who was there to share in them.

I wish I could go on and on, but my sweet baby girl turns 2 tomorrow and there is MUCH to be done in the ways of preparation.

Congrats to Katy and Stephanie!!!

Papa Doak Time

Kate loves her Papa Doak. She got to spend some special time with him a few weeks ago when he came up to New York to visit with his friend, Karen.

We went to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway and it was such a treat to get to go with the whole family (sans Kate). Thanks, Papa Doak!

Then, we went out to see the Yogi Berra museum in New Jersey. The car ride there was just as fun as the museum. Anyone who claims to be a Yankee fan needs to visit the official museum (or at least that is what I hear). :)

The last full day and first beautiful day, we decided it was time to see Central Park. Of course, it happened to be the same day as the Puerto Rican Day parade. The one parade that brings out more people than any other (or a close 2nd to the St. Patrick's Day parade). Yea. It was sacrificial love, but we made it through the crowds and into the park. Whatever visual you are getting in your head right now - just multiply it x 10. I'm not kidding. In an effort to show discernment, I'll just say - it was fabulous people watching.

We enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the park as a family. Enjoyed fabulous music, ate ice cream treats, and even embarrassed ourselves in the name of "fun". (Yes, that's me with the hula hoop.)

We had such a full and fun weekend together. I say this all of the time, but as a mother, there is nothing greater than watching other people - expecially family - enjoy and get to know your children. Kate loved her time with Papa Doak and Karen and we hope to see you again very soon!!

Life in the Mountains...It Just Is.

After spending 12 days in the mountains of Colorado, I am ever more convinced the mountains were created with one sole mission - to sing and give praise their Creator. Those who are blessed to spend even one minute in the majestic Rockies, must give pause to their splendid peaks reaching up to the heavens and stand in awe of their magnificence. I'm honestly not trying to be cheesy, but...majestic is one of the few words that comes to my mind, during a commonly speechless moment of staring out at this view day in and day out for close to 12 days. It just is.

Every Colorado trip I learn more about myself, my family, traveling with a toddler, and mountain life. While I could touch on every area, I really want to just focus on mountain living.

Mountain living is a different way of living.

Sense of time is lost. Paved roads are few and far between. Clear and crisp fresh air is the norm. Cool breezes and consistent afternoon rains are quite frequent - even during the heat of the summer. Labels don't seem to matter. Clothing is about function, not form. In fact, I really think that mountain "apparel" tends to stay in more of an early 90's style and progress backwards rather than forwards. Doesn't bother me. I find it rather refreshing, actually.

There are all shapes and sizes. All backgrounds of people in the mountains. Some people running away from something and others running to something.

I always leave the mountains with a fresh perspective and new goals. Yes, you can't get much different from life in New York City, but it's more than that. It's about time to breathe. Time to think. Time to just 'let go' and live unplugged for a while. It's about getting lost in a campfire and worship through reading, prayer, and discussion. It's about nature walks and moments of pure and natural silence. It's about passing on a legacy of the cabin to my daughter. It's about late night games and early sunrise mornings. It's about ... singing praise to our Creator. It just is.

Oh - such sweet memories in the mountains. I love seeing Kate so happy.

I loved getting to see her enjoy a campfire. (that she called "fire truck")

We had such special time with Mia and Papaw.

They taught Kate how to say "2" with her fingers.

Kate got some "new" things (i.e. sunglasses and loved chillin' in the treehouse at the cabin.

She enjoyed MANY treats with Papaw. :)

She got her first pedicure with Mia.

I could go on and on.

Oh - such sweet memories.

Thank you, mom and dad for everything!

Simple.Full.Pure.Delight

If I think about this Mother's Day, there wasn't one thing that was extraordinarily special. Nothing that makes me think, wow, this is the best Mother's Day ever - since I've only had two. ha. If you asked me what we did, I probably couldn't even come up with anything that exciting or glamorous to share or stories to tell. It was just about simple and pure delight.

Delighting in God's goodness and His might: I was reminded this weekend of His ability to move mountains even in the most impossible and hopeless situations. Sunday, Kristian shared stories from his trip to Southeast Asia with Love 146. God continues to stir up a passion in David and I to become more actively involved in ending sex trafficking. We will all be held accountable to what we do to help end the injustices in this world and David and I are praying what our part will be - large or small. When all hope on earth is lost, it is refreshing and powerful to remember God's power and His might and the hope we have in Him.

Delighting in alone time: I relished in some time alone on Saturday morning. I decided to redeem a gift card for a facial at Paul LeBrecque, from the seminar I planned a few months ago. I milked it for all a one hour treatment could possibly be worth and more. Read some. Sat in the steam room. Did some window shopping. Several hours later strolled home a bit more relaxed. Delightful.

Delighting in the heart of my husband: I am continually humbled and taken back at the depths of my husband's heart. I love hearing his inner most thoughts, which don't come out all that frequently (because it's usually me doing the talking), so when they do...I listen. Intently listen and admire. I delight in my conversation with him. This week it was both rich and sweet as we talked more about God's vision for our lives and our deepest heart's desire -- to love, serve and obey Him with everything, in everything, for everything -- and to really explore together what that means for us, as a family. Not just lip service. We are ready for our lives to be changed. Our hearts transformed. Our dreams radically different.

Delighting in reflections: Keitha gave me a book for my birthday, "Treasuring God in Our Traditions" by Noel Piper. I had started it a while back, but picked it up again, as I thought Mother's Day would be a perfect time to reflect even more on these things and to jot down more notes on what I would like to do with our family.

Delighting in family time: We enjoyed a street fair in the Lower East Side. (not to be confused with the Upper East Side) Lots of people watching, laughs and memories.

Delighting in community: On Sunday, we spent the majority of the afternoon and evening with two families that we love spending time with. We were at Central Park playing, picnicking, and laughing. Then enjoyed a wonderful fajita dinner with everyone in our backyard. I really delight in true community.

Delighting in my own mother: I am inexpressibly thankful to have a mother who is an example to me in every way. I am thankful that we have walked many roads together and that she has sacrificed continuously, given generously, and answered fully that God-ordained calling of a true mother. I am thankful for our conversations each day. I am thankful that even through the distance - she continues to mother and invest in my life and in the life of our family. She is one of those amazing ones. She just is.

Delighting in the legacies of my Grandmothers: I have been thinking about their legacies so much lately. Kate is learning songs and memory verses that my Grandma Martin taught me. It makes my heart swell with pride and humility each time I hear Kate's voice and remember how important they each were to me. Each time I have Kate help me in the kitchen I am reminded of the special legacy my Mama 2 taught me with cooking -- the art and pure delight of cooking. This makes me very thankful and very happy.

Delighting in treats: My sister surprised me by sending these flowers. She is extremely thoughtful and it made my entire weekend! Then we had some Butter Lane cupcakes that definitely rank up in my Top 5 of all time. I took much delight in the chocolate cupcake with Peanut Butta (as they say) icing, the vanilla cupcake with the French Chocolate icing, and the banana cupcake with Cream Cheese icing. (yes, I did share) All of them - melted in my mouth. They were delicious!! Family, fun, and food. What could be more delightful?!

Delighting in other mothers that I so admire: I spent some time praying and thanking God for the other mothers in my lives that encourage me, challenge me, and teach me. I can't imagine going on this journey without them.

And, delighting, most especially, in the one who makes me a mother...sweet baby Kate: What a ham!

What a love! If I haven't said this before, I'll say it now...She is just SO super fun.

I LOVE hanging out with her everyday. Even the bad and tiring ones. Seriously - I can't imagine doing anything else. She is engaging. She is challenging. She is so gentle and loving. She is hysterical. She is so complex and I love her for it.

I find myself just staring at her and watching her in amazement and in complete awe. Oh, how I love this baby girl.

I am so proud to be her mom. So proud.

Simple. Full. Pure. Delight.

Nice.

Nice = Shawna's word usually envoking sarcasm. At times meant to replace cussing or saying something she will regret later. Other times it represents an affirmative praise with a slight chuckle or even a response to an embarrassing or revealing moment.

Here are some things things lately that have been deserving of the word...."nice", in the contexts mentioned above.

1. My friend Andrea was here a few weeks ago and we were out on the town one night. I had some jeans cuffed b/c they were a little too long for the kitten heel shoes that I had chosen for my outfit. Plus, cuffing is cool. Ha. I had tripped several times (picture: heel getting caught in cuff) and I even mentioned that I am in big trouble this evening - since in NYC you walk everywhere. Sure enough - we finished ONE nice drink (i promise) and some appetizers and were on our way to catch the subway to dinner...when, I BUSTED. I mean...not your typical 'stumble, but catch yourself' fall. No, I'm talking - full throttle, bust a seam (which i didn't, thankfully), hands thrown frontward, fall on your face ... fall. In the middle of the

sidewalk. In the middle of the meatpacking district. In the middle of my friends. Nice.

2. I had some mom friends over yesterday morning. We meet every week to encourage each other and chat. My neighbor and good friend, Sarah, was over and we were putting two quiches into my oven when she said, "Do you ever find it hard to put things into your oven?" When I asked what she was referring to, she responded, "Did you know that your oven racks are in backwards?" I clearly didn't. She said the lip on the rack should be in the back and I had all 3 of my racks in backwards with that darned lip in the front, making it near impossible to put things in and take things out of the oven without spilling. Light bulb moment. "Ahhh, that's why. Nice."

3. Kate. Ahhh - sweet Kate. For starters, we are approaching the lovely two phase. I can feel the mothers out there cringing. There are many days that I feel as though she is approaching 22. We have two darling, but typical boys who live next door - ages 2 and 4. They love to make up words, some that are not so great, in order to get each other laughing. Their mother is a fabulous mother and does discipline accordingly, but their most recent word that Kate has caught on to is "Poopoo-head". You can say it with me ... nice.

So, we have disciplined Kate several times with a time out for using the aforementioned word, which she knows is not a kind word nor one that is holy and pleasing to God nor one showing love and kindness and respect to mommy. She loves saying it anyway. She will whisper it during a diaper change or during bath time b/c she knows I can't discipline right away - so I am trying to change my tactics to match her strategy. All of that said...this morning, we were having some learning time and we were going through her alphabet books - one for each letter. We get to "P" where she already read, "Pencil, Porcupine, and Piano." I said "Good job!" Then, I asked, "Kate, what else starts with P (like i had with every other letter)." Without skipping a beat, she says, "Poopoo-head." She is 22 months old. Nice.

4. On Tuesday, I was not having a great day. Can't remember why now, but I just wasn't. To make it even better...Kate came up and said, "Mommy, Poo poo in the potty!" Being thankful it did not end in head and excited and hopeful that this was going to be the end of my bad day, we run to the potty and pull off her diaper. I sit. She sits. We read. We sing. We laugh. We talk. We wait and wait and wait. After a few minutes I say, "I am going to the kitchen to get some water, I'll be right back." I pull the door to where just a crack remains and return 30 seconds later to find my sweet daughter who was sitting on the potty when I left, now standing still near the potty - peeing standing up. Pee spraying everywhere. Nice.

5. We love going to Central Park. It's such great times. We have had a few weeks of beautiful weather (now followed by a week of constant rain). The rule in NYC is if the sun is out, so should you be. Well, I just made that up, but that's my rule. So, here are some pictures from us at the park that made me think....Nice.

Kate saying "C-H-E-E-S-E" as big as she can b/c I keep asking her to say it, so I can take just one cute picture. This is the face she makes. Cute. Nice.

Kate bending over to pick up a ball. Nice...crack.

Kate not enjoying her hat and wanting nothing to do with it. Nice.

6. Last week at church - it was a tough Sunday. David and I were filling in for our usual CG leaders who were out of town last minute due to a death in the family. As God would have it, we got to answer and cover the lovely topic of predestination as mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, Chapter 1. Then afterwards a sweet friend came up and through tears was asking me how God can still be Sovereign over evil and suffering in the world (based on some things happening in her family). Then, as I just start to think I'm getting a theological break, I go down to help in kids - to fill in last minute for another couple - and realize the lesson for 2 and 3 year olds is to teach on the Trinitarian God. Are you kidding me!? Nice.

Oh - then, did I mention that a 3 year old, who was just visiting the church from out of state, had a little accident and pooped all over her underwear? Yeah. Let me just say, that for some reason, I can handle Kate's diapers but there is just SOMETHING about another kid's poo that just does me in...On top of everything else that day, I sat in the bathroom changing this girl's pants thinking...Nice Sunday. Sigh. Nice.

7. David and I are very blessed to trade off nights with our neighbors each week for a date night. Free babysitting just about does away with every excuse for not 'feeling' up to getting out every week - even for a cup of coffee. We love our Tuesdays. We have gone to some great places and some that have made some great memories.

One of our favorites was Panna II - an Indian restaurant in the Lower East Side. We walked into a restaurant with techno Indian music and a thousand multi-colored lights hanging from the ceiling. Nice.

Another was getting sushi a few weeks ago. We had a coupon that allowed us to order a lot of sushi and pay 1/2 the price. We went to town. We love sushi. Little did I know, that when you order over a certain amount, they serve the sushi in ... a boat. Like a real wooden big boat. Now, just picture any sushi restaurant you've ever been to in your life. It's usually on the quieter side (aside from super trendy places) and people stick to their own conversations. Well, the waiter brings this BOAT over for our table and EVERY head turns to us. One woman next to us, eating alone said, "I am really jealous.". The table of four, on the other side of us, just turned and laughed so hard and uncontrollably - even I turned red in embarrassment. Nice.

OK - it was a little much.

9. Kate loves to play dress up. She doesn't have any real "dress up" clothes, but loves putting on my sunglasses (see previous post), putting on my shirts and wearing my shoes. She will get my shirts and just hang them around her neck if she can't quite get her arms through. So, the other night, David goes, "Sweetheart, I think Kate has on some of your underwear." Nonchalantly, I said, "Oh yea -she does that alot b/c she loves to get into my drawers." He said, "Well, I think these are dirty." I was horrified. Evidently, she decided to play dress up from the laundry basket this week! Nice.

8. This morning while making breakfast, I hear my sweet, precious baby girl say, "Yook, Mommy, Yook!" I look over to find my cell phone floating in a glass of water. Nice.