Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Waves


"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, 
as the waters cover the sea."
Habakkuk 2:14

This morning after breakfast with Lala, I decided to go for a walk on the beach. It was early and the sun was not yet out. It was peaceful and serene...and then I noticed that the ocean was anything but-it must have been high tide because the waves were huge and the impact they made when they broke was incredible.

I was talking to one of my "kiddos" yesterday about the importance of spending one-on-one time with God. We talked about how being right with God really changes your perspective. No matter what chaos or turmoil or overwhelming change is going on in life, if you are connected with Christ, then you can have peace amidst all of that. I didn't used to have this type of peace, but I do now. God saved me through the blood of His son Jesus and once I fully submitted to Him, I became the owner of that peace. Do you have that peace today? Right now? In this moment for whatever chaos is in your life?
If not, I encourage you to take some time today to spend with God, just you and Him. Allow Him to calm you, His love to pour over you, and your life to be changed by Him. 

Learning to "be still and know that I am God."
Aim

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A Lovely Afternoon

A couple weeks ago I was honored to be thrown a shower by my wonderful bridesmaids.
These guys were the hostesses with the mostest!


The shower was held at an awesome restaurant in their private room-the Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach. I had eaten there before but had no idea that this room existed until I showed up for the shower. It was large, but not too cavernous, had tons of unique details and best of all, it was air conditioned! :)


The guest list was a mixture of old and new friends and family. My future MIL works on Saturdays but took this one off to be at the shower. I'm so glad she did! Here I am with my Mom (on my left) and my soon-to-be Mom (on my right). I hope that I can be the kind of wife and mother that these two have been  and I am blessed to have their guidance as I move into married life.


Another guest who has been with me since birth is this dear lady. Kiku and her husband were power-houses at our church even before I was born and Kiku continues to serve and be involved to this day. Her husband passed away over a decade ago, but her love for him has never faded. Kiku is one person who has been praying for me since I was born and every year I know that I will get a birthday card and an advent calendar at Christmas from this special lady.


After a brief welcome and prayer by my Matron of Honor and dear sister, Bub, and best friend for life, Pap, we sat down to eat. Boy, was that food delish! (sorry, I don't have pics of the food!)


Then, the "Game Master" Quid lead us all in an "Aimee or Blane Bingo" game. She asked a question that corresponded to a number and everyone had to hold up who they thought was the right answer, either me or Blane. There were questions like, "Who is more stubborn?" and "Who says sorry first?" and others like that. It was hilarious and super fun. Apparently Quid has a hidden game talent that she likes to keep under the radar. 
Hmmm..... ;)


Pap also lead us in a game that elicited some...interesting...responses (!!!) but was also a great crowd-pleaser and it poked good fun at B and I. Note my future MIL's expression in this pic-haha!


Then it was on to the gift-opening portion of the afternoon. Here's my sister with the biggest present we've ever seen, courtesy of my crazy MIL. :)


 I got some practical stuff and some other gifts that were totally impractical, but I'll leave that up to your imagination since this is a PG-rated blog!


My dear Quid recorded everything for me and sat by me, which helped me not to feel so "in the spotlight" which I abhor ;) (look it up Quiddie!)


Afterwards we had a time of prayer which was really special despite what my sister may have written on her blog
-___-


Here's the whole gang! Each of these women have touched my life in some way. 
I am grateful for each one :).


Some other pics from the day that make me smile...

This is Michelle. She is the secretary at our church and a dear person to me. Every time she started crying throughout the shower she would put on her sunglasses to "hide" that she was having a moment. She cracks me up! *note that her glasses are on in the group pic above too!


This is Mads. She is my college roommate and the only person that I keep in touch with from that era of my life. We don't see eachother often, though we live just 2 miles apart! I was so happy that she was able to make it to the shower. And, even though she knows practically no one, she has the kind of personality that just fits right in, and that she did!


And my dear Auntie. She is my Dad's only sister and she has been with Bub and I from the beginning. I am so thankful for her faithfulness, her steadiness and her willingness to step outside of her comfort zone and come to things like my shower. I love her very much. 
*added bonus-she brought my Uncle's delicious homemade cookies with her!


And finally, this blog post wouldn't be complete without a mention of the incredible favors. I know it was a team effort, but special recognition must go to Pap who put her heart into making my favorite macarons (yes, that is really how you spell it-I looked it up!) just for the shower. They were amazing!


To my girls-Bub, Pap, Quid and DD-THANK YOU for making this shower so special for me. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect afternoon! I know you put many long hours (Pap+your macarons!, Bub+organizing everyone!, Quid+game!, DD+restaurant investigating!) into making it so wonderful and I was so overwhelmed (in a good way) by it all. I love each one of you very much <3


Mary-Kate+Ashley-out!
Aim

P.S. A special shout-out to Big Fun, who came early in the day to beautify my hair and face in preparation for the shower. She's a master of the cosmetological tools! 
I wouldn't have looked so nice without you Le! <3


Friday, September 9, 2011

Mr. Clean to the Rescue!


This guy has been my week's must have. You know we've been moving out of our apartment and you couldn't imagine the layers of dust and grime that accumulates after just one year of living. In short, it's been disgusting. :)

I've heard of the miracles that this eraser has been known to produce so B and I caved and bought a 4-pack at Home Depot the other night, sans coupon! *Gasp.

But you know what? I don't even care because he has been worth all $3.48 that we paid for him. My apartment walls are gleaming white again, marks on the baseboards have been magically erased and today I'm going to take one of these bad boys into the kitchen area of doom with me to see what damage we might conjure up. ;) 

Thank you Magic Eraser for restoring my apartment AND my sanity!

One clean apartment-check!
Aim

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Opposites Attract

Garden of Love, meet George. 

Yesterday at the post office while mailing out our wedding invitations, me and my Garden of Love group of envelopes were introduced to George and his 20 cent additional which makes our envelopes mail-ready for their poundage and such. Not your typical match-up but hey-neither are B and I. :) What can I say? Opposites do attract!








My Mom, in her attempt to quell my "the-invitations-don't-look-put-together-now!" fear gave me this bit of reassurance and knowledge: "Just think of it this way-it's your first and last wedding and George was our first President. Plus, I'm a descendent of his so it all fits together!"

Praise God for awesome (and kooky) Moms :)
Aim

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Scenes from a Labor Day Weekend

Hi all five of you who read this blog ;)

How was your weekend? Hope it was lovely and full of good friends such as mine was.


B got off early on Friday so we grabbed a bite to eat at the ever-cute Jackson Market. They have really yummy made-to-order sandwiches and the vibe of the place is so cool and laid-back too. A perfect start to a long weekend!


From there we meandered over to a few paint stores before landing at Home Depot. Here's B sawing off a piece of baseboard to take back to the house for comparison and matching purposes. We've learned recently that owning a home comes with many, many, many new experiences such as this one. :)


Saturday was full of celebration as the women of our family "showered" my cousin P with a special time to honor her and the soon-to-be arrival of her baby girl. It will be the first child of the next generation in our family and we are all oh-so-excited! 


The fam on my Mom's beautifully decorated back porch.


Monday was our annual Church Labor Day picnic with softball, frisbee, food and games for the little ones. These two photos make me smile and capture some of the fun of the day!



Directly after the picnic these wonderful people came out to help B and I move all of my stuff and furniture from my apartment over to the new place. We were very grateful for all of their help! 
*And yes, they all worked hard. My cousin and "cousin" were the beast movers of the day (as noted by their bare-chested glory in the first pic) although everyone worked hard to get us all moved out in one afternoon. God always provides!

One laborious Labor Day down :)
Check!
Aim

Friday, September 2, 2011

White Paint

Who knew that there were so many options for plain 'ole white paint? Today B and I have to go and pick out paint for our home and in the truest sense of minimalism, I want white. Thought it would be easy but apparently I was so wrong on that one! After doing some research this morning I came up with no less than 25 different whites that I narrowed down as potentials from over like a bazillion choices.



Some yahoo search results, a few home decorator magazines and one blue list later, we are armed and ready to tackle Home Depot. Wish us luck!

Paint or bust,
Aim

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Some Recent Snapshots





Just some shots from the past week that NBF took with her iPhone Hipstamatic App.

One point for iPhone!
Aim