oh....it's been a while!

i'm so sorry friends and family!! it's been sooo busy and i've not really updated in a while. suffice it to say, an update is an understatement. there has been so much going on and i'm finding it hard to juggle it all. thus...this blog has been silent. it will have to be silent for a bit longer. i have two huge papers due in the next two weeks that need significant researching aka reading...and i have a home that has a little man on the couch sick-post-throw-up (sad!!), a sink full of dishes, counters full of dishes, suitcases still unpacked from our weekend away up at the Dau's for our annual apple/pumpkin picking slumber party!!...okay...the little man is now sitting up and singing along to go diego go...i think he might make it folks!!

oh...and on top of school and housework, there have been some significant (to say the least) things going on in our marriage. things being so super amazing and good...but realizations of how we have operated as a couple for the past 10 years and how some paramount changes need to occur-but for the GOOD. it is sooo good and i feel such a nearness from the Lord really guiding our path as we seek his direction and our surrender day to day. BUT...that has also been the mainstay of my mind...thus my research backup and reading deficit that needs to be seriously worked on...

please pray for us as we daily surrender our plans to the lord and ask him to open to his plans. this means a HUGE shift for us in mind and heart. one specific area would be vocation. we are looking/praying for a vision beyond being here at biola (is this the year we leave or one more year? Lord...what do you want?)...we are open...a few ideas that we are asking the Lord "why is this in our minds...is this you or us?" is going back into church ministry. geographically we are praying about anything on the pacific northwest. oregon keeps coming to our minds...but really have never been there nor have friends there...so why oregon, Lord? central/north cali coast-ish is also in our minds...colorado...even staying here in so cal...where Lord will you lead our family? father, keep us open...we surrender our plans to you...

so...that is what has been on our minds...or at least one thing thats been on our minds/hearts.

p.s. emily is LOVING preschool. will misses her during the morning...but loves time with just me (or maybe i just love time with just him! ha!)

i thought you'd get a kick out the photos i posted...ry and i had fun on yearbookyourself.com last night and the three photos are the product of my procrastination!

i

10 years

as of oct. 3rd at 10:30am, i have been married to the love of my life, ryan low for 10 years. a dear couple from school gave us their time share in cabo san lucas, so ry and i coordinated child care for the kids for the week as we flew off to paradise!! here are some highlights from our trip.

At the pool!!  there was this island in the middle of the pool that bubbled up and massaged you!  and if you see in the background, this black circle 'pod'...this is where i LIVED for the week!!  it was like a queen bed next to the pool!

our friend, the hairy moth!  this HUGE moth was stuck behind the headboard of the bed.  i heard it bumping up against the headboard.  we looked and it was this HUGE hairy moth! so we coaxed it down from behind the headboard and caught it in the container to let it free.  let the adventure begin!  this was the the first night there!!

on our last night, ry took this picture of me waiting for him before we went down to dinner.  i was watching the sunset and he said "wait!  wait! " and snapped the shot!  
after dinner on our last night.  we ate this amazing butcher block full of tacos and fillings and stuff!  it was amazing!  i could only eat about 2, ry at about 10!!! thus, the pregger belly!
the bed of our suite!!!  amazing!!
our self portrait before our anniversary dinner.  
the view from our room.  i know.  amazing!

ry getting into the hammock!  
the kitchen/dining area of the suite we stayed in.  i LOVED the lamp!
the dessert they gave us!!  flan...yum!
the entrance to the restaurant we ate the flan at
the bus we took to get to the main city, cabo san lucas, in pursuit of cabo wabo cantina-sammy hagars place-where ry wanted to go since he's a HUGE van halen fan.  
we found it!!  cabo wabo baby!!
the beach right outside the hotel property.  the water was so warm it wasn't refreshing
oh...this trip was amazing.  shaeffers, thank you so much for this gift.  what a way to enter into the next ten years!!