The Best Gift

This Christmas is probably going to be one of my most memorable when looking back for many reasons. One of the obvious ones is because this was Kaelyn's first Christmas that she really understood what was going on. For about two weeks leading up to Christmas, every morning when she would wake up she would ask Jason or I, "Open Chissis Pesents?" So cute!!! Another reason why this Christmas was so memorable was because it was the first Christmas since Jason and I have been married that we got a big chunk of time to spend as a family on Christmas Day. That really meant a lot to me. In fact, we didn't go anywhere. We stayed in our pajamas, and enjoyed each other all day long. That is something that is rare. Jason and I cooked a big holiday meal for just the three of us, and we really were able to spend the day enjoying each other instead of rushing everywhere.

One thing I was really struck with yesterday was just how blessed we are as a family. It was so fun for me to watch Christmas unfold through the eyes of my almost-two-year-old. Each present she opened had to be carefully loved by her before we moved on to the next one. Each new present was a new adventure for her to unwrap. She is such a tender little girl, and it was great to just sit back for a day and watch her be herself. Jason is also a great blessing to our family. He is one of the most caring and loving men I have ever met. He takes so much joy and pride in his two girls (Kaelyn and myself) and child to come. That was also incredible to watch.

The best gift I received yesterday was not just watching my family interact in the way my family does, but also a gift that I unwrapped, but it has much more value than the monetary value placed on it. It was a frame, and inside it Jason had printed up what looked like a diploma. And it reads that The Medina Family will do whatever it takes to encourage and help me to go for my Master's Degree. This gift spoke deep into my soul, and I could never purchase a gift big enough to make me any more happy than this one.

So, it is official. I am starting the application process to go for my Master's Degree. I am looking to take the GRE in another month or so, then apply after that. I am still skeptical that I am going to be accepted, but right now, an acceptance letter is the only thing standing between me and a Master's Degree (well, and a bunch of years of hard work!)!

Thank you family, for supporting, loving, and encouraging me when I don't always believe in myself as much as you do!

I'm Dreaming of a Master's Degree!

Well, I have been saying it for a while... I want to go back to school. Today I actually sent away for information for a Master's Degree. It feels a little weird! Not sure if I am actually going to go through with it yet. So many excuses not to... New baby on the way, not enough money, will I ever actually use it? Nonetheless, I can't get it out of my head.

I often wonder if I am just thinking back to college and romantisising the past. I often forget about the tearful phone calls to my dad each semester wanting to quit. (Thanks for keeping me going, Dad!) I mean, how stressful can it be to take one class a semester? (I'm pretty sure that's all I'd have time for with the little ones running around!)

So, wish me luck on going through with this. Still not sure if it would work financially. I mean, everything is just so cheap here in Southern California (please don't miss the sarcasm!) But for now, a girl can dream, right!?

Disillusioned

So, tonight Jason and I took Kaelyn to the park, as we often do on nights when we are all at home. Kaelyn loves the ducks at the park, so tonight we took some bread with us to give the ducks a little dinner. While Kaelyn was throwing bread in the water, most of the ducks were interested and came over to get their share of bread. However, there were about five ducks that wanted nothing to do with the bread. That is because those five ducks are fake. I noticed this a few weeks ago when we were down by the water looking at the ducks. I found it odd that there were certain ducks that never seemed to leave the spot where they were. Then I noticed the water line on one of the ducks. Real ducks don't get water lines! The more I looked at this duck, the more ridiculous is looked to me. Especially the one that is constantly beak-heavy.

The sad thing to me is that this isn't the only piece of "fake nature" that I have noticed surrounding me. There are the countless fake palm trees that are cell towers, which look atrocious by the way! There are also fake rocks that are covering electical boxes along a canyon road that we often take. The funny thing is, I think, we do this to cover up what is really there, but once you see it, it looks unnatural and odd. And you can't help looking at it every time you pass it. So, instead of covering it up, we actually are drawing more attention to it.

These fake ducks fall into another category, I think. Unless this is a way of covering up an underwater cell tower! These fake ducks, in my opinion, are to add to the ambiance of the park, even if there are no ducks around. This also strikes me as odd. Are people really happier in a park with fake ducks than with no ducks at all? Do people really gaze upon these fiber glass creatures and get a sense of calm over them? I sure don't!

The Wondeful World of Potty Training!

So, yesterday Jason and I had the joy of taking Kaelyn to Babies R' Us (Sorry I can't figure out how to type the "R" backwards!) to purchase a potty. I honestly wasn't thinking, "Alright, I'm going to potty train Kaelyn." My serious thought was, ok, we'll give this a try, and see if it works! If it does, great, if not, we'll put the potty on the shelf for another few months and try again.

So, last night we got home with the potty, and Kaelyn was so excited she was actually helping us put it together. As soon as we got it together, she opened the lid right up and took a seat! (Step number 1 of potty training... Not bad!)

So, since she was such a willing participant last night, I figured today at regular intervals I would take her in there diaper free, and see what would happen. I plopped her on there a few times, and she was so happy to be there. In fact at one point today I found her in the bathroom on her potty, of her own free will (fully clothed of course!)

Our last attempt of the night, I had put her on there, and we were happily reading the potty story book we bought with the potty last night, and all of the sudden she stood up, and a few drips came out! YAY!!! I had gotten her back on the potty, and we managed to get A WHOLE DRIP into the potty! So, I would say, day 1 of potty training was a success! Let's hope the rest of the days can be this good! Maybe tomorrow we'll get two drips in the potty!

How Far We Have Fallen

So, as some of you know, Jason and I have been on a journey the last two years to try to figure out what we feel the church should look like. Recently, Jason and I took a huge leap of faith and stopped attending a "church" altogether, or at least what some consider church. We believe that you don't go to church; rather, we are the church. And, for those of you who are about to go crazy, we really feel that we are following God's leading, and we aren't losing our faith. You just have to trust me here...

So, this is where it gets awkward, because everyone wants to know, "Well, what are you doing then?" And I am really still struggling to verbalize what we are doing exactly. I just know that we are absolutely fed up with church the way it is now, and there needs to be something completely different done, and not just cooler song sets and great theatrical lighting. If we truly want to be the church, we need to live life as Jesus did, not just hear great sermons that make us feel good, and leave doing nothing about it. I just want to get out of these Christian sub-cultures, and become relevant to those who aren't in a Christian sub-culture. And I want to make friends with people, not for the purpose of converting them, because then are they really friend? No, they are just projects!

I think the present day church has gotten so focused on "creating a mood" for worship, that we have missed the point entirely. We have spent so much time and energy trying to conjure up God that we completely miss Him. I think He does a fine enough job of making His presence known, and I don't think He needs our help.
Ok, I have probably completely lost some of you, and that's ok. I am just speaking from my heart, and typing what I am feeling. And if you don't agree with me, then that is great, and I honor your opinion as well. After all, the great mega-churches are reaching some. But not everyone. Not people like me. So, there needs to be a place for people like me, and that is what we are struggling to figure out what that looks like!

I would welcome your comments and dialogue about this matter! Always good to wrestle with others!

Sweet Home Chicago

So, anyone who knows me is probably getting sick of hearing how much I love and miss Chicago, but here we go again!

Today I was able to talk to one of my close friends from Chicago, and I was reminded how much I miss it out there. I love Chicago. And not only is it a great place, but it is where I grew up, where my dad lives, and where my closest friends live. I have learned that the older we get, the harder it is to make really close friends, and that has probably been my biggest struggle since moving to California. Not to say that I am a loser that can't make any friends (maybe I am?), but it is harder to find those rare friends that you can just completely be you around!

When I got back from our trip to Chicago, one of my friends out here had mentioned that I came back with a Chicago accent! (This surprised me, because I didn't hear any difference!) I was actually kind of glad by this, because I was once again identified as a "Chicagoan". Unfortunately, my guess is that I have lost it again! At least Kathi and I got Kaelyn to say "Chicago" while we were there!

While I do love Chicago, I am also thankful that I do get to live is such an awesome place as Southern California. Where else could I live where when it hits 68 degrees I pull out my sweatshirt! (I swore I would never get that bad, and I have!) I am thankful for the friendships that I am developing here, that I also believe will be friendships that will go beyond our time in Southern California. However, there is just something about Chicago that will always feel like home.

While in Chicago I was reminded of how thankful I am for my good friends that I can completely be myself around! Kathi, thanks for the chats until 3:30 in the morning, when we both needed to be up at 8:00. Those times will never be forgotten! Holly, thanks for the laughs and fun conversations that we can have. It is truly nice to have two great "sisters" that will be the best of friends no matter how many miles apart we live.

Joining the Consumers

So, I'm excited, because Jason and I finally decided to join the rest of America and purchase an I-Pod Nano! We decided we would get it as a joint anniversary gift for ourselves. We ended up buying it today! (A little early for our anniversary, but we get the point!) I must say, I am pleased with our purchase so far! :o)

The thing I noticed though, is how dangerous the consumer mind-set is. Of course, now that we have the Nano, we need to get the car charger/transmitter so we can listen to our I-Pod in the car. Then, there is the alarm clock that you can dock your I-Pod in, so you can wake up to your favorite tunes! Then, there is the case, the docking station, etc, etc, etc. The list continues. Yikes! By the end, this Nano is going to cost quite a bit! (Not too mention all the songs we will buy on I-Tunes!) Apple was smart! Should have bought some stock a while ago, huh?

Then, once you make a big purchase, it is easy to want to buy more, isn't it? Afterwards we walked into Bed Bath & Beyond, and started pricing new toaster ovens. Then we went to Costco, and started looking at patio furniture and playsets. Not that we bought any of these things, or we even have the slightest intention of buying them, but it is so easy, isn't it? I find that when I am in the habit of spending, I want to continue spending. But when I am in the habit of saving, that is what I do.

Now, Jason and I are not "big spenders", mainly because corporate America sickens us, but we often have times when we just want to spend, spend, spend. Granted, the Nano was a gift to ourselves, celebrating three years of marriage, but that can easily turn into greed. And once again it is time to relearn contentment!

Can't We All Just Get Along?

DISCLAIMER: So, I want to preface this blog with the fact that I am not fully knowledgable on politics, in fact I just registered to vote a few months ago. So, if I am wrong with some of my opinions because I am too naive, then so be it, but this is how things are as I understand them.

I just finished reading a book called I Sold My Soul on Ebay. Ok, so before you start blasting me, let me explain, briefly, the premise of this book. The author is an atheist (self-proclaimed at the "friendly atheist) who "Sold his Soul" on Ebay. In the auction he has stated that for every $10 that the bidder paid for him, he would go to church for one hour. Any church that the bidder wanted. He is very knowledgable about the Christian faith, but he wanted to see what church would look like through the eyes of an atheist. Long story short, an organization called Off The Map won his "soul" for $504. Now, if you are doing the math, that would mean he would be in church almost every Sunday for the next year. They made a deal with him that he would go to 15 churches (of differing types), and write a book about his findings. This book is about what he discovered as an atheist in Christian churches. Some of his observations are a little unsettling...

One of the things the author felt the church lacked was social justice. There were plently of sermons preached that told people how to better their lives, but what about bettering the society we live in? While he heard some churches talking about social justice issues, he didn't hear of many churches that were actually practicing social justice issues. Now, as I understand it, the Democratic party is one that mainly focuses on social justice, and the Republican party mainly focuses on moral issues. But, I pose the question, aren't these connected? Isn't social justice a moral issue? At least it is for me. What would help our society more? Taking care of the poor and the homeless, or outlawing abortion? Is it enough to say, "You can't abort babies, but once they get into the world, we aren't responsible for taking care of them as a society!"? (Ok, I AM Pro Life, but can you see the point that I am making here?) After all, what did Jesus spend his life doing? Telling people what they could or couldn't do, or taking care of the poor and oppressed?

Alright, so I understand that this blog is a bit controversial! I would love to have dialogue about it! I would welcome for you to leave comments, and we can have a discussion! I am still wrestling through things myself. But, if you lovingly want to engage me in a conversation about this blog, I would welcome it openly!

Slow Down

First of all, I need to say that for the first time on Monday, I went swimming in MARCH! Well... I went in the pool. Even though it was 90 degrees here the pool was freezing. Kaelyn screamed for the first minute, but after her legs and feet numbed up, she had a blast! Ok, now onto the real blog...

So, I am getting increasingly frustrated with California drivers! I get so frustrated by the people that make our roads dangerous, just so they can get somewhere faster. These people have no care that I am trying to safely get my precious little daughter from place to place. It really annoys me.

Now, before I go any further, I need to say, I used to be one of these drivers who could never get somewhere quickly enough. Although, I did, for the most part, follow the speed limit, I did have my share of tailgating slow drivers and dangerous maneuvers. But, I have learned from my mistakes! I'm not so sure other people will slow down for anything short of death!

I have actually been tailgated and then followed for doing 5 over the speed limit out here. (Did I mention that this was on a very curvy, dangerous road too?) Yes, I said 5 OVER, not UNDER! And out here, if you are getting followed by someone, nothing guarantees that they won't pull a gun on you, which really scared me when I had my 1-year-old in the backseat!

Then, I have to laugh at the people that go zooming around me, only to be stuck at the same red light as I am, then watched them floor it out of there, only to meet up with them at the next red light. Ha ha ha! Or the sweet satisfaction that I once had of someone speeding around me, then watching the red and blue lights come on and they got nailed. But, unfortunately, that satisfaction is a rare occurrence.

So, I am urging you all to SLOW DOWN! You never know who could be in that car that you are tailgating or swerving around! If you want to be reckless, do it when only your life is at risk, not innocent little children who have no say

From Bad to Good

Yesterday was one of those days where I wish I would have just stayed in bed. Ever have a day like that? I mean, obviously I couldn't just stay in bed... but it sure would have been nice. It was one of those days where nothing traumatic happened, but a bunch of little things added up to be one big mess of a day. I'm sure you know what I am talking about.

So, this morning I did decide to stay in bed! :o) Not forever, but longer than usual, to make up for my bad day yesterday. Jason had a meeting this morning, so he wasn't eating breakfast at home, so I took the opportunity to sleep in, well, as much as you can with a 13-month-old... I slept until about 7:15. Kaelyn woke up not long after that, but I let her play in her crib for a while, she was quite happy in there.

After a while the phone rang, and to make a long story short, it was the City of Chino Hills saying that Kaelyn made it into the "Kids Love Music" class, which um, started 50 minutes from when the phone call arrived, and I had to get there early to register. See, yesterday I had called and found out that I was put on the Wait List, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. So, I was VERY excited to find out that we were in the class, but getting ready was going to take nothing short of a miracle in the little bit of time I had.

So, I started rumaging through my closet, and decided, "what the heck... I'm going to try on this pair of capri's that hasn't fit me in years!" So, I tried them on, and they fit! I could not believe it. I was thrilled. I went and got on the scale and discovered that I am back down to the weight that I was when I got married! YAY! Another plus for today!

So, all of this is to say that I have never had a good day completely cancel out the bad day that happend right before it. And that is awesome!

Why Do I Miss Chicago?

So, this picture was taken less than 5 miles away from where I grew up! It was taken today, and as you can see, the snow and cold was a little more than miserable today! While this was taking place, I was at the park, pushing Kaelyn in a swing enjoying the 80 degree weather. So... Why do I miss Chicago???

I love Chicago. I may be a little biased, but I really think it is the best big city we have in America. I love the downtown area, and I just love the feeling of Chicago. Maybe it is my best friends that I still have there, that I miss dearly... Maybe it is the fact that my dad is there, who again, I miss tremendously! Whatever it is, for some reason, even after seeing this picture, I still miss Chicago!

Since moving to this concrete jungle known as Southern California, I have learned to appreciate Chicago more and more. In fact, when Jason, Kaelyn, and I went back there last summer, we were amazed at how curteous all the drivers were!?!?!? I never thought I would call a Chicago driver curteous!

So, you can have your 80 degree days, and conjested freeways. You can keep your smog, your glamour, and your high housing costs. Give me Chicago any day. Even today!

New Year's Resolution Update

Well... almost a month has passed since I started Weight Watchers. It takes a month to form a habit, right? So far, so good! I have lost almost 10 pounds!

So, yesterday, I went out to eat with my in-laws for lunch. And I tried to look for one of the healthiest things on the menu. (I even substituted a fruit cup for my french fries!) When it came to me, I noticed that the bread of my sandwich was heavily buttered. Being who I am, I didn't want to complain, so I ate it, and chalked it up to the fact that I have my flex points. But afterwards, I not only felt guilty for eating it, I felt gross. The funny thing is, the sandwich was still relatively healthy, but I still just felt yuck!

So, I guess I have formed a habit, and one where junk food doesn't even sound appealing any more. However, I am getting sick of eating the same things every day. Funny!

Oh, and as for my ban on restraunts who won't give nutritional information, that is still going strong too. I am getting more upset at restraunts who claim they can't give me the information because vendors are different throughout the country, yet they can give me the information on the healthy part of their menu. I have officially, now as a voting citizen, written my congressman to see if I can get anything changed. If fast food restraunts need to be held accountable, I believe family restraunts (who I am sure are serving food worse than the fast food industry!) should be held accountable as well. I know... it seems trivial, but it is a big deal to me!

Of Voting Registration and Video Rentals

Well, I've done it! The thing I said I would never do. I sent in my form today to register to vote. It is a long complicated story, but I hope I can quickly sum it up.

Last night Jason and I watched a very disturbing movie. The movie is entitled Jesus Camp. It is a documentary of a camp in North Dakota for children, and it is run by an Evangelical Pentacostal Pastor, and a very fundamental one at that. At this camp they indoctrinated, and teetered very closely to the edge of brainwashing these children.

Now, if you know me, I am a Christian, but I am very against what was portrayed in this movie, and I feel the people in this movie are very poor representations of Christians. We were called to love others, not to "save" them. In fact, Jesus hated the haughty Christians of his day too!

In this movie there were 9-year-old children having emotional experiences way beyond their age! Besides, they were forcing these kids to take a stand on abortion and speak out against abortion. Do these kids even understand what they are taking a stand against??? Then came the political agenda. They were basically telling these kids that Republican equals good, and Democrat is bad. Again, do these kids even know what that means??? I was saddened because these kids are so young and impressionable, and they are being used!
So, in this movie, these kids were traveling all over the place to all these different Christian things, and one of the places they went was Ted Haggard's church... If you remember recent news stories of Ted Haggard... we know where he is now... Anyway, one of the comments that he made in an interview for this movie (he really creeped me out) was that if every Evangelical Christian voted we could keep the Republicans in office.

Who is to say that Evangelical Christians are all Republican? Did Jesus come with a political agenda? And why do we need to have a political agenda as Christians? So... this comment infurriated me, and I decided that I needed to stand up, as an Evangelical Christian, and do my part to not just blindly vote for the Republican party, because it is the "Christian thing to do!"

So, I am proud to say, that I hope my very first vote will be for Barak Obama in the 2008 presidential elections!!!

Birthdays

I love Birthdays! I like my own, but moreso, I like the Birthdays of the people I love. I don't know why, I just do. I love trying to make them feel special on their day! :o)

So, today is my little girl's 1st Birthday, and I am so excited for her. But, why is there this thing in the back of my head that thinks that when she turns 1, she will all of the sudden get up, walk perfectly, and say words that make sense? Why this thought? I was not even mildly shocked when we went to get her out of her crib this morning that she still refers to everything as "da da" (Even I am "da da" for the moment, which I guess will suffice!) and she still stumbles and falls while trying to take those steps!

Birthdays are funny things. They are markers for us, but why do we think that something big is going to happen? I guess my roll as Mommy is to make something big happen for my little one on her special day!
Happy Birthday, Sweetie! Mommy and Daddy love you so much, and are so proud of you!!!

Nutrition and Eating Out

I am a little upset at the moment. Since beginning this Weight Watchers thing, I am very anal about how many points things are. (If you know me, are you at all surprised by this statement!) Anyway, I e-mailed some of my favorite restraunts just to get the nutrition information of some of my favorite dishes, as I have flex points that I can use any time throughout the week, and would like to know if I am consuming 20 points or 60! Anyway, I get a nice "friendly" e-mail back from one of the restraunts claiming that they do not have the nutrition information available at this time! (I asked for the nutrition information for their SALADS!) As the e-mail continues... if you would like to eat healthy try one of these things on our menu!

So, the issue isn't that I just want to eat healthy, I want to know what I am putting into my body, and it outrages me that these restraunts won't even tell me what I am putting into my body. Wasn't there a law passed at some point about this? And if there wasn't, there sure should be. Isn't it our right to know what we are putting into our body, or are restraunts that afraid to tell us? And if they are that afraid, should we continue going? Now, I am not a huge "my rights" kind of person, but I still think that I have the right to know what I am consuming!

I e-mailed them back and let them know the reasons that I wanted the nutrition information, and if they still can't provide it, then I guess I'll have to find somewhere else to eat!

So, I think I have now started this "campaign" (be it ever so small) that I will not eat at any restraunt unless they are willing to give me the full nutritional information for the dish I want to eat. Simply because I want to know what I am putting in my body! When I cook at home I sure know what is going into my body!

New Year's Resolutions

Well, I've done it... I have joined the gazillions of Americans who have made the resolution to lose weight! However, I'm not so sure I did it as a "New Year's Resolution!" I simply did it because after Christmas you feel like such a hog from all the eating! (Especially in Florida... we were fed well!) So, I guess I just happened to start my diet on New Year's Day. Let's call it a coincidence!

I have had years of nothing but frustrations with my weight. I really don't feel like I eat that much, and for the most part I eat healthful. Everyone has to splurge once in a while, right? So, where does this weight come from? So, since I can't seem to do anything about this on my own, I joined Weight Watchers Online. (Does this officially make me obese???)

So far, I'm loving it... Ask me again in a few weeks! :o) At least Jason is doing it with me. (As if he had any weight to lose!) For now I am obsessed with this Weight Watchers thing... Gotta find out how many points everything is... Gotta portion everything out just so... Ooops, that was 13 tortilla chips on my plate, not 12, better put one back! But how long with this last? I'll keep you updated!