tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79474447272208733322024-03-05T02:03:49.156-08:00the harpers happeningsjoeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-86183527530441233422014-11-24T21:32:00.004-08:002014-11-24T21:32:28.829-08:0030 years<div style="text-align: center;">
a couple weeks ago, I sat down with my pastor to have coffee. we started talking about different seasons of life + one thing he said that has stuck with me is this.</div>
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"marriage is a <i>marathon</i>. you may have some 5 or 10k's along the way, maybe even a half marathon. but your marriage is the main marathon."</div>
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while I have never ran an actual marathon, I have been running my marriage marathon for 3.5 years now. and guess what?! my parents have been running theirs 30 years today.</div>
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<em><strong>30 years people!</strong></em></div>
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within these three decades, they have accomplished a lot. I think some things they might be most proud of include but aren't limited to : </div>
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- raising 3 beautiful, wonderful children </div>
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- two who are married to some of the best men</div>
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- those 3 children have given them 4 grandchildren</div>
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- they worked in ministry together for 18 years</div>
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- they headed up 2 church plants</div>
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I can't remember a time when my parents didn't open their doors to welcome people in + make them feel like part of the garcia family. they have filled their different homes with grandchildren, friends, family, mine + my siblings friends + spouses, people of all different walks of life, drug dealer (yes, this shit is real), ex-prostitutes that my mom has ministered to, etc. they are technically "empty nesters" now but instead have been raising a granddaughter for the last 5 months. </div>
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they are <b>selfless</b> + <b>generous</b>. </div>
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they are a <b>great team</b>. </div>
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they <b>compliment</b> each other well + <b>love</b> each other big. </div>
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they have put <b>Christ at the center</b>. </div>
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I wanted to write a quick blog post to honor them. I also felt like I had to write this to say : <i>ya'll, love for 30+ years does exist</i>. here is proof:</div>
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happy anniversary mom + daddy. i love yall.</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-68090454665605185972014-09-01T21:06:00.001-07:002014-09-01T21:06:20.149-07:00maternity leave.what a blessed 3 months of life. leaving APU for maternity leave, i had no clue exactly what the next couple months would look like. they were full of rest (well, the first two weeks before raegan came were) and loads of love.<br />
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the first two weeks, i was able to have a lot of nesting + solo time. it was exactly what i needed. i rested, walked a ton, took about every measure possible to meet tiny baby harps but mostly soaked up time just being 'me + trav'. being 6 days late made me learn patience, something the Lord knew i would need in motherhood.<br />
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then raegan hope arrived. june 17. a day i will <i>never</i> forget.<br />
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i remember people saying, you will never know a love like this. it's SO true. not only a love like what i've experienced with raegan, but a new + deeper love for my sexy husband + God. through the last couple months, i could not have done any of this without those two.<br />
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<b>raegan</b>, i'm crying writing this now. you are my little best friend. someone who i am so madly in love with. i can't imagine not being with you all day, everyday. thank you for coming into my life, allowing me to be your mama, giving me grace when i mess up, love + pointing me more towards Jesus. i have never known a love like you. i'm absolutely devastated to be leaving you 32 hours a week but know that our time together will be more rich + intentional. thanks for lighting up mine + your pops world. we are changed for the best because of you.<br />
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<b>trav</b>, i didn't think i could love you any more + then it happened. seeing you become a dad is the sweetest, most precious thing i could have ever asked for. the way you love rae melts me. i mean, i am liquid on the floor! you love her so big + love me big too! through this experience, i know we can make it through anything. the middle of the nights, the sleeplessness, the bonding, the joys, the richness in knowing raegan is our gift from the Lord. all of this has been priceless. thank you for creating new memories for our family. the first two weeks we had home with you were the best. me + raegan will miss visiting your office, lunch breaks + early morning snuggles. but the best is yet to come. i look forward to watching you grow more as a pops, teaching her how to crawl, walk + run, taking her on her first date, teaching her about Jesus + sports, and mostly, loving her unconditionally + being an earthly example of how our sweet Jesus loves us.<br />
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<b>God</b>, you have been so good to our little family. last year, at this exact time, i was in the trenches. walking through the miscarriage was the worst thing ever but you brought us through which has made us not take any of this for granted. you brought us joy for mourning + peace for misunderstanding. thank you for your goodness, your faithfulness in all things. and thank you for the best gift, raegan. she has warmed + filled our hearts to the brim. you know this kind of love because it's why you died for us.<br />
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thankful to be returning to a work that puts God first + will give me grace when i cry the whole first week back. see you tuesday am APU admissions!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">in the week leading up until TBH arrived, I did everything I could! walk the rose bowl, check. sex,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">check. primrose oil pills, check. raspberry tea, check. nipple stimulation, check. spicy foods (yes I ate flaming hot Cheetos thanks to the advice of two dudes from church lol - worst decision ever), check. and still nothing.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">the following Monday, June 16, I went to see tamayo again. now I was dilated at a 4 (yes! progress was being made)! we asked her all our options. she told us the days that week that she was off + she wasn't the OB on call that weekend either. it meant more to us to have her there then going into it naturally (especially since I was 5 days late too), that we decided unless the baby comes tonight, we will have her break my water in the morning.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">for the rest of the day + night, I felt fine. not too many more contractions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">trav + I went on a date night to Houston's. we chatted + laughed as we reflected on the last ten months + talked about what we were looking forward to! we crawled into bed later that night + prayed. we knew the next day, our lives would forever be different! <b><i>bring it on</i></b>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> trav had a go pro set up in the car to capture the chaos of going to the hospital while in labor. since I was dilated at a 4 + not in any pain, we just interviewed each other on the drive in. we didn't have the "holy crap my water broke, let's get our asses to the hospital" moment. this was just what The Lord has intended for us though.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">so we arrived to the hospital at 5:15am on June 17. we checked in +</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">they didn't have us on file. they told us to sit in waiting room. we started to grow anxious, maybe we weren't supposed to be doing this?!! 2 minutes later, they checked us into triage.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">triage was mellow. ivy, our sweet nurse took my vitals. we were just waiting there for a while. we kept</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">looking at each other feeling doubtful. "should we do this?!" then after 45 minutes, in walks tamayo! she always brings such peace. she was like: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"good morning dear! how are we?!" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"doing good!" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"great! we are 6 days late right?!" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"yes!" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"okay, <b>let's get this party started!</b>" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">GAME ONNN! I needed her to fire me up + she sure did!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">we got admitted around 7am.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> she broke my water at 7:15 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">ish. it was the craziest feeling! I was obviously laying in the bed + it was like a river flowing! lol but seriously! (our ultrasound tech told me I had a lot</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">of amniotic fluid + that when my water breaks - it will be like the movies! it sure was like the movies! i guess 10-20 is normal. i had 27 liters! LOL)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">during this time, I was feeling great! making besties with the while hospital staff, jamming out to our tiny baby harps playlist, watched trav hang up our "baby harps" banner + eating ice chips, texting away!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">my parents + sister showed a little after this. they brought trav coffee + tons of snacks. it was so good knowing they were here + Travs fam was shortly behind them! my dad prayed + blessed the room + labor. my mom + sister got straight to work - massaging me + helping coach harps! we were just planning on having it be me + trav in the room, but we are SO thankful my sister + mom stayed. we could not have done it without them. #teamharps</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">this is always the part that gets a little blurry. the contractions picked up. I was very focused in between each one, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">had my eyes closed the entire time.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> didn't say much, just concentrated on what was coming up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">trav was such a great coach. he held my hands as I squeezed his so </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">tight. there was one point when I guess I got a little pissed at him. he was reading the monitor + telling me every contraction that was coming up. i was internalizing my breathing during contractions, so he would say, "okay, here it comes. breathe (then he would deep </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">breath in + out). breathe...." so at one point. he was literally two inches away from my face telling me to breathe. first I know that the contraction coming cause it's happening to me! so I look up at him + say, "I hate that you're doing that right now." hahaha he backed </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">off + got me some ice chips! lol</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I had planned on going natural. not because it makes you "more bad ass". it was just a decision that me + trav had made. i think anyone who gives birth, regardless of getting an epidural, going natural or having a c-section is bad ass. moms, you rock! there were two points where I asked for an epidural. the first was when I was dilated at 7 (transition time). I told trav that I think I wanted one. he told me, "you can do this Joeley. your body was made to do this + you're doing an incredible job! you're progressing quick + dr thinks it will slow things down." okay okay - I won't get one. then when I was at a 9, I literally felt like I couldn't take it anymore. trav said, "we will get the nurse in here to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">check your progress. she will be in here in 15 minutes." great! I have to wait a little. by the time the nurse came back (an hour and a half later), i didn't want one anymore. LOL </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">i got on the ball a couple times. since i had so much fluid, i was still leaking on the ball. so i stopped doing that. then i put the ball on the bed + put my head on top of the ball (don't worry, they cleaned the ball after i leaked on it!) + did some circles. at this point, our whole family had arrived. my mom told me to look out the window cause they were all standing outside + we could see them waving. i didn't have enough energy to do so but i'm so thankful for the cute pix they got of them waving!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">during the whole time, my body would be SO hot + they would put wash rags on my face. then my temperature would change + i would be shivering. my body went through some stuff! i also threw up a little water during a transition into a 7. #hotmess</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">once I was at a 9, I knew it was game time! an angel charge nurse walks in + in between a contraction, makes me lock eyes with her. she pep talks me + walks me through the proper way of pushing. she also told me to wait to push until they told me </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">to. I was still holding Travs hands. my sister was rubbing my back with heating pad + my mom is on my other side. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">my body felt like i should push, so i started pushing (and pooping - yes, it happened). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">i would apologize with every push + poop - "i'm so sorry, soooo sorry!" the nurses were so great! "oh! we've seen wayyyy worse." i literally thought poop was going everywhere, but it was just little nugs! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">the nurses told me not to because it wasn't time. i thought they were just saying that because my OB wasn't there yet. but if you push too early, you can cause your cervix to swell. the idea of that stressed me out more! so every contraction, i would breathe through it + push at the end. the nurses knew that i was ready! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">in walks tamayo (i swear she's an angel). she asked, "how are we doing my dear?!" the only thing that comes out of my mouth, "tamayooooo! i'm shitting everywhere!" everyone laughs! i was relieved she was there. i knew tiny baby harps was so close! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">tamayo gets ready + everyone gets into position. my mom was on my right side, then angel nurse, tamayo in catcher's position, my sister behind her with camera, other two nurses down on my left + trav holding my hand on my left.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">contractions were intense. i'm talking, pressure like i've never felt. trav was whispering + telling me i could do this! he was right! i can! so the ladies told me to push up to 10 seconds! WAIT WHAT!?!?! i thought you just sneezed + the baby came out?! LIES! lol so i start pushingggggg. they counted. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">tiny baby harps was crowning. they could see hair! thank GOD. i needed a baby with some hair (trav was bald til 2 + i had an abundance of hair!). i heard that + was so excited to meet this lil love. so i got a little crazy! in between contractions (they were about a minute apart), i could hear everyone chatting. my mom + tamayo were talking about grandkids. and there was other chatter. i was focusing + resting in between every contraction. so when i felt ready, i looked up + shouted, "ARE YOU LADIES READYYYYYY?!" they all looked around + probably thought i was crazy! lol but they said yes + then i shouted, "okay, one, two.." and started pushing on three. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">i did that twice, had to fire myself up a nit + then out came a beautiful baby... GIRL!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">tamayo let trav announce the sex. so as tamayo pulled tiny baby harps out, she grabbed her arm + made her wave at us, then continued on to pull the rest of her out. that's when trav said, "it's a baby girllllllll!" (we have this whole thing filmed thankfully. cause i wouldn't have remembered much of it!)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">baby girl! in all her glory! our little gift arrived at 3:02pm. 7 lbs + 20.5 inches long. so much perfection. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">raegan hope, we are completely in love with you. we cannot imagine life without you. we are so thankful you are ours. our Papa God is so good. daily thanking the Lord for the sweetest gift. it's such a blessing to be your parents baby gal. </span></span></div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-18531827355015798442014-04-01T08:57:00.002-07:002014-04-01T08:57:39.570-07:00the day that would have been.<div style="text-align: center;">
this blog post has been a work in progress for the last 10 months. i have had moments where the last thing i want to do was post this. and other moments through pain, hurt + other stories, this was the only thing i have sent to people.</div>
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this post is my heart. it's raw + really ugly, but beautifully redemptive. i wrote this in august, right when i was in the thick of it all. here it goes : </div>
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"I need to tell our story.</div>
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I’m not doing this for anyone to feel bad for us, or pity us. Please know that is NOT my intention. I wouldn’t write this if that were the case. I’m writing this because I have found that stories have helped us with our journey. I’m praying that even if this brings encouragement to one person, it is worth it.</div>
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Two weeks before we left for Africa, we found out we were pregnant. Yes, having a baby! We couldn’t believe it because we were not trying whatsoever! We had unprotected sex once (too much info?!?! sorry, just being real).</div>
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I was late for my period by a couple days + am so regular that I knew I was pregnant. Trav didn’t believe me so I bought a pregnancy test. I had to know as soon as we got home. Trav was downstairs packing up the car when I took the test. I was so nervous that I couldn’t go back into bathroom after I peed. When I did, I saw the pregnancy line + started tearing up! A million things were running through my mind. I was mostly excited, a little shocked + slightly afraid. “Are we ready? I guess we better be!”</div>
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I was standing in my tee + undies with the test in my hand when Trav walked back in. He looked at me + knew. He came over, I handed him the test + he said, “holy shit”. Ha! We laughed, prayed, dreamt + were in shock/ pure excitement together. Trav could not believe it. In fact, he made me wake up before he went to work the next morning to take another test! I woke up @ 5:30am + it came out positive.</div>
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So we scheduled an appointment to meet with our doctor. She too confirmed I was pregnant. I was a week away from leaving for Africa so I asked her if it would be safe to go. She was a little concerned but gave us the okay! We felt peace about going too. God had called us to go, we weren’t backing down.</div>
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So we told our immediate families by Facetiming them. It was the best. We all screamed on little mobile devices states away. It was glorious. Their reactions, comments + those moments were just priceless. We told a handful of friends too. We were so excited we couldn’t hold it in. And we wanted to be covered in prayer!</div>
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I couldn’t believe baby Harps was already going to travel abroad! What a world traveler! I begin to tell some members of the team just so they didn’t think I was lazy or inconsiderate if morning sickness hit at any point. They were wonderful new friends who celebrated + took care of me before Trav arrived (he came a week later). I felt great the whole trip. Being in airports for long amounts of time was annoying but for the most part, I wasn’t experiencing any first trimester sickness. Thank God!</div>
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Sunday morning of our trip, I woke up in the middle of the night not feeling good. I thought it might have been what we had for dinner but it was more than that. I went to the bathroom to find I was spotting. I read blogs about how this could be normal in the first trimester, but worry grew. I texted my mom + sister to pray for me. They are the best encouragers + eased my fears. I went to bed a couple hours later. When I woke up, I still wasn’t feeling 100%. We had a full day planned so I thought as soon as we get going, I’ll feel better.</div>
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Sunday service was awesome. It was incredible to witness how God is working there. I sat there in some pain + went to the bathroom (which was a hole in the ground). I was still lightly spotting. Nothing to worry about right?! Okay, I’ll just tell a couple gals on my team so they can be praying.</div>
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The day went on + I kept a low profile. Only a couple more hours until Trav landed and once he got here, I would feel the safest. We had visited an orphanage before picking him up at airport. During our time there, my cramps were awful and the bleeding was more than spotting. I laid down on the bus for a little because I couldn’t bare to walk around. We finished our time there + headed to airport. At this point, everyone on the continent knew how excited I was for Trav to land! <strike>Sometimes</strike> most of the time, you just need your man!</div>
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I was like a little puppy waiting for its owners to come home after being alone all day. LOL It was the best to see his face. I hugged him so tight that I didn't let go. I hadn’t told him anything up until that point because he was in the air the whole time. As soon as we sat down on the bus,everything came out. I was so scared, I was terrified. He held me + told me it was going to be okay.</div>
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At this point, our team didn’t have dinner + it was close to 9pm. We headed for dinner. At the restaurant, I was in so much pain. I ate dinner because I thought it would make me feel better. It didn’t. As I went to the bathroom, I knew it wasn’t okay. Something was seriously wrong at this point. The second time I went, I looked at my friend Lauren in shock + didn’t want to believe what was happening. She was such a calming presence for me. I am forever thankful for my sweet Lolo.</div>
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I returned to the table sobbing, I was in pain + horrified. Trav knew we had to go to the hospital. Our bus, full of the whole team, piled in after I came back + dropped us off at the hospital. The hospital was the "nicest" hospital in Kenya. It was still a third world country hospital at the end of the day. I was scared out of my mind, yet so thankful Trav was by my side. We filled out paper work + did initial assessment. As we walked back, workers were mopping the floors, so we were literally jumping over puddles to get to the room. Lights were flickering on + off. It felt like a horror movie. But our Doctor spoke great English + our Nurse Grace was a literal God-send, created to be a Nurse.</div>
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The Doctor asked some questions + then left to prep whatever was next. We cried in the hospital room, holding each other, scared. What was happening?! Were we really on a missions trip in Africa having a miscarriage? This can’t be real. We did a couple different tests. Then we headed to get an ultrasound. They put me in a wheel chair, Trav holding my hand as they pushed us through the creepy hallways. </div>
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The ultrasound tech was the one who told me I wasn’t pregnant anymore. The weight of her words didn’t compute. I walked out of the ultrasound room + Trav was sitting at the end of hallway. His face was buried in his hands + he was praying. He looked up + saw my face was as white as a ghost. He knew. I sat on his lap + we cried for what felt like hours. We held each other + sobbed. Then we sobbed some more. Looking back on that moment, you can't help but remember your wedding vows, for better or worse. It was the absolute worst thing we have ever walked through. I was so thankful for Trav, his sweet heart + kind words he whispered and prayed over me.</div>
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We went back to the hospital room + our doctor said that it was a complete miscarriage. Regardless of location, it would have happened because the baby wasn’t forming properly so basically my body rejected the baby. I had never heard such a thing. We cried + thanked him for helping us. As we walked out of the hospital room, we cried with our friends in the waiting room. It reminded me of the scripture, mourn with those who mourn. So thankful for friends who mourn + go through the shit of life with you.</div>
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That night, we barely slept. We cried most of the night together at the hotel. Right when I didn’t think I had tears left, I would cry again. I woke up in the middle of the night to see my sweet Trav, jet lagged + tired, bawling his eyes out. I held him + prayed for us. We woke up with tears streaming down our cheeks. The rest of the week was a blur. There were moments of joy with moments of deep pain.</div>
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The most significant moment of the trip was the morning after. We didn’t tell the orphan boys that Trav was coming on the trip later. As you can imagine, we were emotionally raw. We started to get off the bus, and the team brought over the two boys who Trav met four years ago over. As we stepped off, tears streamed down Jonathan’s cheeks with the biggest + brightest smile I have ever seen. They were so happy to see Trav! We all hugged + cried together. They don’t know how much their embrace meant to us after the loss we had just experienced. Their joy was contagious.</div>
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The rest of the week had highs + lows. Moments where I thought I wasn’t going to make it + others where I felt the Lord carrying us. We debriefed with our team leaders at the end of the week + told them we were thankful to be in a place that brought us so much joy during such a painful time. It was nice to be able to just be with Trav during the week + not have to worry about going back to work the following day, or try pulling ourselves together.</div>
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Upon returning home, it hit hard. We both jumped into new jobs + there was so much change happening. I thought I was going to be so much stronger than I was. The truth is, I need Jesus, and then some more Jesus, oh and then give me some more of Him. I can’t make it a second without Him. In this moment, I feel like I’m sitting in the thick of it all. I’ve cried a lot. I’m mourning deeply the loss of baby Harps. It hurts to walk through this + I’ve received some of the best encouragement ever – take the time you need to be in every phase of this. Cry, be mad, be sad, feel everything you need to feel to get the healing you will soon get. so much more advice that i keep close to my heart daily.</div>
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My heart hurts daily. I really wanted to see a growing belly. I know one day I will have that. But in these moments, I’m just trying to keep it real. It hasn’t been easy. It’s honestly been the shittiest season ever. But I do know that it is only for a season and God is still good. He has our sweet baby Harps in heaven + I get to meet it one day. I know my grandmama is holding baby Harps closely + so is Jesus. That brings my heart so much peace. But it still hurts."</div>
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sometimes i think women walk away from miscarriages ashamed, defeated + maybe even depressed. i felt all of those emotions. not like this justifies the hurt + pain, but miscarriages are more common than we know. one of the most significants things that helped us through besides Jesus was our community. our families loved on us, our friends fed + made us laugh, our church prayed with + for us often. the best way i can describe it is different people took pieces of my broken heart + i felt God putting it back together. piece by piece, meal by meal, story by story, laugh by laugh. don't distance yourself when you walk through trauma of any sort. share with those you trust + lean on the Lord. He created us for this. thank you friends + family. you mean the world to us.</div>
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had we not walked through this, we wouldn't be 30 weeks pregnant now + ready to welcome a sweet baby in june. we often think of baby harps #1. sometimes i cry. but i mostly thank God that He is taking care of babes + that one day, i get to meet them! today is the day we would have met baby harps #1 if all went according to our plan. but God has a plan that outweighs anything we could ever imagine. He is that good of a papa! </div>
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hope this brought some hope today.<br />
happy birthday baby harps #1.</div>
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xoxo</div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-50985742974957579562014-03-12T07:30:00.000-07:002014-03-12T07:34:27.874-07:003 years <div style="text-align: center;">
i can't believe i'm even writing this post (where does time go?!). </div>
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3 years ago, me + trav said we<i> do</i>. </div>
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i have the fondest memories of our wedding day. it flies by. i just paused throughout the day to take in the moments, the people, the commitment, the family + friends that supported us (+ continue to today). </div>
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but the things i remember most, is life since the wedding. </div>
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<b>in three years we have</b> :</div>
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pursued the Lord as a team</div>
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burnt food + made some keepers in the kitchen</div>
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welcomed a new niece into the world (gracie girl, we love you)</div>
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gotten new jobs + promotions<br />
have had more people sleep in our place than i can count</div>
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seen our friends become spouses + parents</div>
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traveled to new places</div>
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cooked dinners in our kitchen together (while sometimes having mini dance parties)</div>
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joined a church we really love</div>
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done denny's runs @ 3 am</div>
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had good, hard, life changing conversations</div>
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watched too many tv series</div>
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traveled internationally (mexico + africa)</div>
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moved into our home</div>
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have danced the night away @ CM parties</div>
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been to weddings + baby showers<br />
experienced some of life sweetest + most bitter moments<br />
paid off student loans + a car<br />
hosted parties<br />
continued traditions + started new ones<br />
volunteered for different organizations</div>
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GOT PREGNANT!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8g8PQQZO44tVFjqwcisMJtlBgjGUo2v2kiS5y3l0mBNpK66kx2opidH92pQjXgM9vV1_xrJEWx3PDzvapGerJ4uQEwW0QZfUpnrJu0HpVEmPRXf8EW9znwe8GlQIE_kYoABTzYL491gk/s1600/Harper+Wedding-224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8g8PQQZO44tVFjqwcisMJtlBgjGUo2v2kiS5y3l0mBNpK66kx2opidH92pQjXgM9vV1_xrJEWx3PDzvapGerJ4uQEwW0QZfUpnrJu0HpVEmPRXf8EW9znwe8GlQIE_kYoABTzYL491gk/s1600/Harper+Wedding-224.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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trav : you amaze me in more ways than you know. your commitment to the Lord, me + everything you do is a testament of your character. thank you for continuing to pursue me, <i>everyday</i>. you are my favorite boyfriend, lover, companion + the list could go on. thank you for continuing to say yes to me everyday. you are my world + i'm thankful God gave me you everyday.</div>
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i love you. happy anniversary from LA to PDX.</div>
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xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-61907298880669812402014-03-02T10:18:00.000-08:002014-03-02T10:18:50.135-08:00my lately list<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px currentcolor; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.75em; margin-bottom: 1.2em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #1a1919;">steph from </span><a href="http://pixelsandplaybooks.com/" style="color: #1a1919; line-height: 1.75em;" target="_blank">Pixels & Playbooks</a><span style="color: #1a1919;"> made this + encouraged her readers to post! then becca from </span><a href="http://justbeccasue.com/2014/02/26/my-lately-list/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">just becca sue</span></a><span style="color: #1a1919;"> tagged me to complete the same list. so check it out.</span><br />
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lately i’ve been:</div>
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<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">COOKING</span> in my new kitchen! love cooking anything cause clean up is easy - can someone say dishwasher!<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">SIPPING</span> tea. hot + iced.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">READING </span><span style="border: 0px currentcolor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">baby books galore! baby names, what to buy baby, pregnancy week by week, etc! </span><br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LISTENING </span><span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">to "the voice" (i love shakira) without seeing their faces to see who i would pick if i was a judge. it's tricky! try it!</span><br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WANTING</span> to go out of the country before tiny baby harps comes!<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WATCHING</span> house of cards, season 2.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WAITING</span> for march 7 to be in portland with my love for a solid weekend.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ATTEMPTING</span> to figure out my passions + pursue them fully.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LIKING</span> the rain!<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">HOPING</span> labor is smooth (fingers crossed!).<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">NEEDING </span><span style="border: 0px currentcolor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the few boxes we have left to unpack themselves!</span><br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TRYING</span> to walk everyday. epic fail lately.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">WEARING</span> hunter boots! only every once in a while do i get to bust these out.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LOVING</span> avocado toast. every morning.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">PLANNING</span> for retirement. jk. our upcoming busy season before baby harps arrives!<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MISSING</span> my college girlfriends. reunion soon?<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">MAKING</span> our house a home. it's so cozy + lovely.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">NOTICING</span> this baby bump growing!<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FEELING</span> emotional in this season. it's crazy to think it will just be me + trav for less than 4 months.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">LAUGHING</span> at my sweet 3 year old niece london who performed "frozen" soundtrack all weekend long.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ADMIRING</span> moms. just in general. my mom, my mom's friends, my friends who are becoming moms. i admire ya'll.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BUYING</span> maternity clothes from asos. ya'll need to get on this train (not the pregnant train, getting gems from asos.)<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">CRAVING</span> pineapple + grilled cheese. not together though.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DISLIKING</span> all the travel my love travy is doing lately. sleepovers anyone?!<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FOLLOWING</span> some of shauna's advice about pursing the things we love. read this <a href="http://shaunaniequist.com/mother-taught/" target="_blank">post</a> she wrote about it.<br />
<span style="border: 0px currentColor; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">FEELING</span> a little anxious. pretty excited. sometimes scared. kinda emotional. but mostly H A P P Y!</div>
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i’d love to know your LATELY LIST! copy this list and post it on your blog, Instagram or Facebook + leave me a link below.</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-32307098234069905582014-02-10T18:25:00.000-08:002014-02-10T18:25:42.058-08:00we are moving!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VvURWPXJtEyC-1p4nTcCDS9HvFAKmwhQtgXSR8mcbAqLbvcOHcZ1BLEAR-ijddwZwjXy18iYEYFOYVe0MNOJHgjY_bMhmnWUDyowNpG8Ve92z6VKoZN1yaU5h9yFh1NGkQimqULLvcI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VvURWPXJtEyC-1p4nTcCDS9HvFAKmwhQtgXSR8mcbAqLbvcOHcZ1BLEAR-ijddwZwjXy18iYEYFOYVe0MNOJHgjY_bMhmnWUDyowNpG8Ve92z6VKoZN1yaU5h9yFh1NGkQimqULLvcI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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our home is almost finished being packed + we are headed out of this cute one bedroom apartment! going a whole 2 miles down the road but we will still be in pasadena.</div>
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we obviously needed to get a bigger place for tiny baby harps. but packing + reflecting back on this sweet little home, i got sad. <i>real sad</i>.</div>
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it's the first place i've felt like home since being married. our AZ apartment was great, but just didn't ever feel like our home. unit d in pasadena definitely did. it had character + cuteness that was fun to entertain + just want to be in.</div>
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this home is full of so many memories (including but not limited to):</div>
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awesome moments with the Lord</div>
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banners being hung to celebrate the different holidays</div>
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tables full of people - eating + celebrating community</div>
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clothing swaps</div>
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football games with victories + defeats</div>
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game nights with friends</div>
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tears in hard, trying seasons</div>
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conversations that made me + trav better spouses</div>
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dgroup girls hang outs + sleepovers</div>
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our first holidays away from both sides of the family</div>
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family + friends visiting from all over the country</div>
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and so many more i can't list or else i'll cry (#pregnancyproblems)</div>
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unit d, you've been so good to us. i'm really sad to leave because i've had some of the best moments in my life right in this sweet spot. but i know that what God has next for us is even better. i'm excited for an actual house instead of an apartment, a baby room, original hardwood floors throughout, a backyard + most importantly - a dishwasher! and ya'll are invited over!</div>
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hope you have a happy monday. sorry for walking down memory lane! </div>
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xoxo</div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-57310101691108147402014-01-23T18:10:00.000-08:002014-01-23T18:10:27.180-08:00national handwriting day : treasure mail<div style="text-align: center;">
christmas time is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. the main being Christ's birth, but i also really look forward to receiving christmas cards. i'm obsessed with the family pictures + updates each one brings. anyone else or am i just that strange?!<br />
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i have always love the idea of going to the mail box, sorting through the junk mail + then the<em> treasue mail</em>! so today is reason to write a post on just that - <em>treasure mail</em>! <br />
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<em>treasure mail : </em>when one receives mail that isn't a bill, junk, or just stupid. it can come as one of the following examples. </div>
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<strong>examples</strong> : wedding announcements or save the dates, baby/bridal shower invites, thinking of you cards, thank you letters, etc. </div>
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<strong>used in a sentence</strong> : omg! i got some <em>treasure mail</em> from my best friend!<br />
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one of my goals last year was to write <em>treasure mail</em> more often + mail them, with the good ol postal service. none of this technology crap. i did good the first couple months but then stopped. i tried to pick it back up but then felt like my christmas cards would suffice. lol all the way in december.<br />
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but in honor of <em>national handwriting day</em>, i'm here to challenge you to do just that.<br />
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hit up paper source or target + get some cute stationery with a good pen (those are so important in this process - any pen/sharpie obsessed people?! (my whole office!) ). write a card to someone you have been meaning to thank, or that you have been thinking of. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKjYIfWny8Mo-VRGQNWKhxIpxXvz8js_9CDL428_NtFAUAOdOTdn2Cie7u6QpRagsZ5qyDO9I7obT4YHtlXSrPPFK5T-UCwUx25HGhf1UvYQa5ddXNyR0oyNviQgbWxKgwIf1EQNpo80/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKjYIfWny8Mo-VRGQNWKhxIpxXvz8js_9CDL428_NtFAUAOdOTdn2Cie7u6QpRagsZ5qyDO9I7obT4YHtlXSrPPFK5T-UCwUx25HGhf1UvYQa5ddXNyR0oyNviQgbWxKgwIf1EQNpo80/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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stamps don't cost that much, if you want i'll even cover your postage. but really, just spend the .46 cents. it will make someones day.<br />
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happy national handwriting day. </div>
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xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-21103585752449488082014-01-22T16:23:00.001-08:002014-01-22T16:23:55.187-08:00#20weeks<div style="text-align: center;">
holy realness! i'm half way there. <em>half way</em>!<strong><em> 20 weeks</em></strong>! this is getting crazy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaxPqM0PVsEAXThnHOqHIEWqjSfzWkKErCXFPbYnnFjx-sYYA4IJUlW3RrxGwwA5s3eGHYLPwACgE9FHXnt8Fh6bqWfxb2s4ExiFHGkyQrFfRZKw3epjzEaLPsxH2V_Yd7D78Hj-YqtE/s1600/side+shot+20+wks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMaxPqM0PVsEAXThnHOqHIEWqjSfzWkKErCXFPbYnnFjx-sYYA4IJUlW3RrxGwwA5s3eGHYLPwACgE9FHXnt8Fh6bqWfxb2s4ExiFHGkyQrFfRZKw3epjzEaLPsxH2V_Yd7D78Hj-YqtE/s1600/side+shot+20+wks.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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i know i haven't blogged too much on pregnancy + for a reason. up until 18.5 weeks, i felt <em>awful</em>. morning sickness? i wish! it was all day sickness! i'm SO thankful to be over that + enjoying the second trimester!</div>
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here are some stats + funny facts :</div>
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<strong>baby size</strong> - mango / banana. 6.5 inches, 10.6 oz.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPZKfE7TQ2tx4OrUngPhsDNGanKGnOPZkpBAQSOrA87wXk8C2_ukYScmjlYqJYu9uGGOBd1UKHlAXL5cgyMjeczdAWl6bawnl3t-wsKPaZ-1xXEqFjvPm4m26Ej_m0FLH72nSrmQJm0c/s1600/mango+baby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPZKfE7TQ2tx4OrUngPhsDNGanKGnOPZkpBAQSOrA87wXk8C2_ukYScmjlYqJYu9uGGOBd1UKHlAXL5cgyMjeczdAWl6bawnl3t-wsKPaZ-1xXEqFjvPm4m26Ej_m0FLH72nSrmQJm0c/s1600/mango+baby.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong>gender</strong> - technically, we can find out monday, but we aren't! we are going to wait until tiny baby harps come + be surprised. (if ya'll know me, i hate surprises, but i think this will be a good one! i also change my mind every other day, but for now, we are waiting until june!)</div>
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<strong>favorite moments</strong> - feeling tiny baby harps move! happens mostly @ night. </div>
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<strong>maternity clothes </strong>- bought my first pair of jeans. haven't worn them yet. been rocking the maxi dresses + stretchy pencil skirts (business professional for work ya'll).</div>
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<strong>miss anything - </strong>i'm not a BIG drinker, but i do miss an alcoholic beverage every once in a while. </div>
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<strong>cravings </strong>- i brought bread to make grilled cheese sandwich + peanut butter + jelly sandwich. </div>
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<strong>queasy or sick -</strong> finally not! praise the Lord! but really burpy (sorry for the details). </div>
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we are beyond stoked about our precious treasure. thanks for sharing in your excitement. we have loved all the gifts, texts, emails, calls + overall joy! </div>
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xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-14387611445034402432014-01-13T19:34:00.000-08:002014-01-13T19:34:21.610-08:00new year, new goals!<div style="text-align: center;">
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so i'm sure like most, we have lists full of things we wish to accomplish this year! i think it's helpful to write down goals, pursue them + see it come to pass. one of my favorite goals from last year was seeing us pay off my student loan (<em><strong>PRAISE HIM</strong></em>!)! </div>
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now this year, with #tinybabyharps on the way, we are in full time savings/budget mode! i want to cut the excess now so we can save for our sweet babe + even just be more conscious of where our money goes. i remember hearing a quote : instead of seeing your money go places, tell it where to go!</div>
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and that my friends is how i became <em>budget obsessed</em>. okay, maybe not obsessed, but definitely competitive about it. i <span style="color: red;">love</span> seeing us save money at the end of each month + just dumping that into savings (sometimes it feels like dumping, most times it feels like barely shoveling). because of that + a nice little work bonus (trav's), we were able to pay off our honda this month (once again, <strong><em>PRAISE HIM</em></strong>!). WE OWN A FULLY PAID OFF CAR! that feels so good!</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red;">disclaimer</span></i></b> : by no means do we do a budget the best way cause i'm not a budget expert nor have i read a book on it. but i wanted to share what we do to make our budget work for us!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6a6johXJy_QZGt41qngQkpk2PbqabN10Z889CCyV2DSwU_aXTEwTbk7rqQEjkb-zC5W1cXuM9BKH4SKklwWbOYKVSsOeDPFSgexEH0MuurEgLOeJqVBEZnkomiiBf7EUZCXYeMmGj8A/s1600/298v6-max-250x250.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6a6johXJy_QZGt41qngQkpk2PbqabN10Z889CCyV2DSwU_aXTEwTbk7rqQEjkb-zC5W1cXuM9BKH4SKklwWbOYKVSsOeDPFSgexEH0MuurEgLOeJqVBEZnkomiiBf7EUZCXYeMmGj8A/s1600/298v6-max-250x250.png" /></a></div>
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so we are on these awesome website called <a href="http://mint.com/">mint.com</a>. my sister got us hooked. you hook it up to all your accounts (debit + credit cards, loans, etc.). from there, you can make your budget for different categories and for every purchase + transaction, you will see it fall into that category.</div>
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some of our categories include but aren't limited to : tithe, rent, car payment (not honda), gas, entertainment, shopping (yes it has it's own category), lunches out, sporting events, mobiles, travel, etc. you can see an example of one below (it's not ours, google is good to me).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCIB2esJKuwc2R7viveas8wakjVV5WX3yU7Vr8xcO4lZgNwzMoC2eg-StXqt0IYDm5CNsvVKRVhrWTVWyzlcnfnYRBXsYnFvMOOh2tIohdSvuhL-Rf4O24g26lrydZbl_nNFAGMLa0qs/s1600/49930-mint.com3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkCIB2esJKuwc2R7viveas8wakjVV5WX3yU7Vr8xcO4lZgNwzMoC2eg-StXqt0IYDm5CNsvVKRVhrWTVWyzlcnfnYRBXsYnFvMOOh2tIohdSvuhL-Rf4O24g26lrydZbl_nNFAGMLa0qs/s320/49930-mint.com3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://intuit.toptenreviews.com/mint.com-review.html" target="_blank">source</a>)</div>
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so every month, we sit down + see what's on the calendar. the best part is, depending on what's going on for the month, you can change the amount of money! for example, we just got over a busy month of Christmas shopping. so we ended up adding more to our gift category. this month, we had to get a window fixed on our honda, so we upped the service + parts category.</div>
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i don't think i need to give more examples cause you can tell it's super flexible + easy!</div>
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another awesome feature is their goals tab! you can plug in the amount of debt you have left on, let's say a school loan. it will show you the interest rate, how long it will take to pay off with whatever amount you plug in + wa-lah! it's paid off in no time!</div>
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just thought i would share a helpful way to budget this year so ya'll can pursue some goals you want to invest in! hope it helps! if you have more questions, i'm no expert, but ask!</div>
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<<best about.="" as="" asked="" blogging="" budgets="" done="" goes="" have="" he="" i="" in="" it="" lol="" my="" of="" part="" post...="" said="" this="" trav="" typing="" up="" walked="" was="" what="" wife="" with="" you="">></best></div>
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happy monday! (such a monday topic, budget... blah!) xoxo</div>
<br />joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-1142152820085797572014-01-12T18:22:00.001-08:002014-01-12T18:22:46.617-08:00happy new year!<div style="text-align: center;">
<strike>9</strike> 12 days late but still wanted to wish ya'll the best!</div>
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<strong><em>2013</em></strong> was a year full of greatness. recap of it all. </div>
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<strong>january</strong> : hit up the pasadena rose bowl parade. slept on the street corner, made great friends, had a bomb breakfast burrito made by my hubby + shawn. will definitely do this again.</div>
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<strong>february</strong> : one of my favorite traditions. valentine's day themed dates! greek style took the cake! more details <a href="http://joeleyhope.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentines-greek-god-style.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpM8IIeqNwKiCojQfFWAl7nPH7FfNJWRQ4wvtvvtCeJTZvhqo1TJgmtefzlNLpuptXsCRhNTCMQFXxNIR9Rmc_W9vtWSSajD3Qi7UCVPbBpJTzMzQePEnj2mEAktEvBiSWoqrc85TEZ-s/s320/greek+god.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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<strong>march</strong> : <a href="http://joeleyhope.blogspot.com/2013/03/happy-2-year-anniversary.html" target="_blank">2 year anniversary</a>! our annual spring training trip with about 20 of our college best friends.</div>
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<strong>april</strong> : my birthday month! smash + jordan came out + we celebrated all three of us. it was a blast to say the least!<br />
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<strong>may</strong> : one word - CABO!<br />
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<strong>june</strong> : the LLS campaigned wrapped up. what an incredible team + journey to be apart of. this gal won woman of the year in our hearts. (me + brim @ a LLS pub crawl to raise money!) then me + trav @ LLS gala.<br />
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<strong>july</strong> : 4th of july in prescott, az for nana + papa's annual party. pit stop @ grand canyon where we got engaged!</div>
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<strong>august</strong> : AFRICA!<br />
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<strong>september</strong> : mom's birthday + 20 years @ ICLV! what a ministry this woman has!<br />
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<strong>october</strong>: trav's birthday + finding out about TINY BABY HARPS.</div>
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<strong>november</strong> : thanksgiving in vegas + grandpapa's wedding.</div>
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<strong>december</strong> : our neice gracie was born! the holidays in az + tahoe. so wonderful!</div>
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this year was awesome. lots of weddings, babies + tons of blessings! we are so excited about 2014 cause of our sweet #tinybabyharps arrival in june. in the mean time, be looking forward to some serious blogging here. </div>
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xoxo<br />
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-29123821840114683132013-12-23T13:16:00.000-08:002013-12-23T13:16:12.498-08:00update ya!<div style="text-align: center;">
omg! i haven't posted since halloween! <how embarrassing=""></how></div>
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i didn't realize<em> first trimester</em> would really take it <strong>all</strong> outta me {mamas out there, can you feel me?!}! all i wanted to do was sleep, sleep, eat so i wouldn't be nauseous, and then sleep some more. i'm SO thankful to be over with that. but for goodness sake, i'm trying to make a baby here! one of my girlfriends posted this + it couldn't be more true. </div>
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<img src="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6c/0f/93/6c0f93fc20f8a625be8a38af6884d7bb.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: none; color: black; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /> </div>
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(<a href="http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6c/0f/93/6c0f93fc20f8a625be8a38af6884d7bb.jpg" target="_blank">source</a>)</div>
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lol. anyways, i would love to update ya'll (the 5 of you who read this blog - i love you). </div>
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we have a story that i have been wrestling with posting for months. i'm just gonna do it. but not quite yet. after Christmas. </div>
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so be ready! in the mean time, Merriest Christmas. don't forget the reason why we celebrate. it's all for Him.</div>
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love. xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-7286759116490084522013-10-31T10:29:00.001-07:002013-10-31T10:29:37.394-07:00happy halloween!<div style="text-align: center;">
now it doesn't get more love story than woody + jessie!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQSvYo1ermos-yc1mJaS0dzgf2fXmBaby6WJnqVR14h4lS6j7TRlQsT6_pGSHgLiMoyMbWP9nfuZHIoMSaKIofz4cf8iEfW4ixULD9eXSL_wDid-YLGWmFjNUKRjRWgv7PEMxSsMVFns/s1600/cm+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQSvYo1ermos-yc1mJaS0dzgf2fXmBaby6WJnqVR14h4lS6j7TRlQsT6_pGSHgLiMoyMbWP9nfuZHIoMSaKIofz4cf8iEfW4ixULD9eXSL_wDid-YLGWmFjNUKRjRWgv7PEMxSsMVFns/s320/cm+party.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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this isn't my favorite holiday, but i'll take that cute cowboy any day!</div>
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any fun traditions ya'll are doing?!</div>
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heading to vegas to celebrate my brother's baby shower! cannot wait for my neice gracie to arrive!</div>
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happy halloween!</div>
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xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-6838109503619103292013-10-25T16:29:00.001-07:002013-10-25T16:29:17.183-07:00lets be honest....<div style="text-align: center;">
i suck at this blog challenges. i have done a handful of love stories for ya'll with so many more to share! i'm sorry!</div>
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let's get you started on a good story for this weekend!</div>
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it comes from two of mine + trav's dearest friends. we just spent all week with them. they are the type of couple you leave saying, they excude the Father's love + you just desire to be with them more. </div>
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it was so fun to see their love evolve. they started dating/got engaged/ got married around the same times we did. it was a blast to have a couple friend to share in that with!</div>
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meet the lessler's. alex + fallon. here's their love story: </div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My love story is one about unexpected love. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">After graduating college, I moved back home to Portland, Oregon.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It wasn’t a move that I wanted to make. Moving home, having a degree but no career, and leaving behind all my close friends, was hard.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I moved back with no expectations of dating, let alone finding my husband. But I also had made a little promise to myself that I would kindly accept any invitation to join someone on a date.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking back, I can see that God was slowly and quietly preparing my heart for what was about to happen.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember one night I was at dinner with a friend and I told her I believed God was preparing my heart for something unexpected and wonderful.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span>Twenty some days later,</span></span><span style="color: #262626;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I met Alexander for the first time</span><span style="color: #262626;">. He was tall, dark, and handsome. He was soft spoken, had a calm presence, and was very quiet. I chalked all that up as being boring. Dreadfully boring, or at least that was my first impression.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #262626;">It wasn’t love at first sight, at all.</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span>A week and a half later, I got invited to spend the weekend at Lincoln City with some friends. I didn’t want to go because I knew Alexander was invited, too. Since our initial meeting, many people were behind us dating. I knew the beach was part of their plan, and I was so nervous thinking about spending an awkward weekend at the beach with a handsome guy that I wasn’t interested in. Yet, I somehow got talked into going…<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit;"><span>I spent the weekend observing Alexander. Fascinated by who he was and how he interacted with others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit;"><span>We had little interaction after the beach. I’d see him around church serving and loving on people. But I made no effort to talk to him. Still admiring from afar.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit;"><span>But something Inside of me started to change.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit;"><span>I wanted to be noticed. I had always thought Alexander was so handsome but I was always so drawn to how I loved watching him interact with others, especially when it came to the way he showed love to every person he came into contact with.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: inherit;"><span>But I had no reason to believe he noticed me. I was always kind and warm in our few interactions and maybe sometimes, secretly looked for a detour to walk past him. But I was conflicted. Did he notice me? How do I let him know that I like him?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>To my surprise, he had noticed me. He called me on Wednesday, May 19<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>, 2010 and asked if I wanted to go on a date that<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1778004412" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">Saturday</span></span>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our first date May 22<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>nd</sup>: we talked over Crepes, walked around Portland, picked out books at Powell’s, and had Mexican Food for dinner. Our date started at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1778004414" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">1 p.m.</span></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and ended at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1778004415" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">11 p.m.</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was the best date I had ever been on. I knew after that date that I was going to marry Alexander. The only problem, he didn’t.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next couple of months were some of the longest and most life shaping months of my life. I’m not a patient person. In fact, I’m a total perfectionist, who always has a plan and seems to know how things should look.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Had God forgotten that he had released my heart months before to dating a guy? I clearly thought this guy was Alexander. Was he not? Was I dating the wrong guy?<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thoughts and questions, like those, bombard my mind. I didn’t trust God.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was as if I had made a plan and timeline, scanned a copy, and sent it off to God…expecting he’d forward it on to Alexander to make sure it happened.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The beauty of dating a man that trusts and follows God is that they had a plan. Just not the same plan. A little over six months from the day I went on that first date, with a tall, dark, and handsome guy, He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And on May 7<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>, 2011 I became his wife.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My love story is better than any love story, I could have imaged or dreamt for myself. And after 2 and a half years of marriage, it keeps getting better and better.</span> </span></span></div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-25801288398697102732013-10-15T13:33:00.000-07:002013-10-15T13:33:22.812-07:00day 15: marquez love<div style="text-align: center;">
{this love story is from our pastors. one thing i love about cory + karissa is their undeniable love + friendship. they are a true model of what marriage should look like. and they just gave birth to one of the most handsome lil man in pasadena, cayden! i hope you enjoy their story!}</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Cory and I met our freshman year at APU, but I was in a long-distance relationship at the time. We both lived in Engstrom Hall. A couple weeks into the fall semester, my roommate informed me that two guys had knocked on our dorm room door, one of which was Cory. When my roommate opened the door, Cory’s friend who had knocked on the door said to her, “Yeah, my friend here thinks your roommate is hot…” This declaration was made without Cory’s prior knowledge, so, like a mature freshman guy, he took off running down the hall the moment his friend said it. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I was so embarrassed when my roommate told me this. And of course, since Cory and I lived in the same building, we somehow managed to cross paths frequently. Let me tell you – I felt so awkward every time we would pass each other! We never spoke a word to each other. Not even ‘hello.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Fast forward to April of our spring semester. I was no longer dating my boyfriend, and had casually dated a few people since, but wasn’t particularly interested in having a boyfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the course of the spring semester, Cory and I had somehow formed the same group of friends, and I found him to be particularly hysterical and fun. Until April Fool’s Day… <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The pranks between the guys and the girls got a little bit out of hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s just say that the cops were involved by the end of the day. As everyone was spewing out their anger/frustration/grievances, I sat there thinking how immature we were all acting – over a prank war. I attempted to change everyone’s perspectives by stating, “Let’s just calm down and take a deep breath. Tomorrow is a new day, and we’ll probably regret what happened and what we said.” To which Cory responded very sarcastically, “Hey, can I get some sermon notes on that?” My immediate thought: OH NO HE DIDN’T! Any sort of friendly feelings I had towards Cory quickly dissolved. I was so irritated and angry with him! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Thankfully, I had a little bit of respite from the hostility because everyone went their separate ways for the week of Spring Break. I stayed in CA and hung out with my girlfriends that week, while Cory had gone home to Colorado. One of my girlfriends had agreed to pick Cory up from the airport, and had asked me to go with her. After a lot of persuasion, I agreed to go with her, but in my mind, I had decided that I was going to annoy Cory as much as I could (who was the immature one now?!). When we pulled up to the airport, my friend got out of the car and gave Cory a friendly welcome hug. I got out of the car, and said as sarcastically as possible, “Cory, did you miss me?” And then we hugged…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I’m embarrassed sharing this part of the story. It’s so cliché and cheesy, and anyone who hears it could easily, and rightfully, mock us for it. But truth be told: in the moments of that hug, all of my anger and annoyance with Cory disappeared. Sparks went off - for both of us. We got the “warm fuzzies.” That first night back from Spring Break, our affection for each other was already evident to our friends. From that point on, we were inseparable. I came to know Cory in a whole new light – he was compassionate, extremely smart, funny, responsible, kind, and devoted. We were young and in love, and in all the unashamedly cheesy sort of ways – Cory showered me with flowers and notes and spontaneous dates; we talked on the phone for hours when we were apart, and it killed us to hang up the phone; we had a physical chemistry; we were so passionate, both in our love, and in our arguments. We dated for a year and a half before Cory proposed, and we were married seven months later. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">We’ve been married for seven years now. We look back over the years, and we laugh at some (most) of our dating memories. We were young and naive; we thought we knew everything there was to know about love and romance. With a little perspective under our belts, we now celebrate other aspects of our love. We are true companions. We are each other’s biggest fans. We know how to temper each other when we have strong feelings about something. We know each other to a depth where we are able to call out something in each other that we ourselves may be blind to, or too prideful to admit. We have weathered storms together. We’ve hit rock bottom. We’ve had to sacrifice our own needs in times when the other has been selfish. We’ve had to pursue each other in times when one of us became complacent. We’ve had to choose each other when it would have been easier to walk away. And isn’t that reminiscent of our relationship with God? I know it is of mine. How often do I neglect God? How often am I not faithful to pursue Him? How often would I trust in myself before I would trust God? It is easier for me to rest in the comforts of my routine than to sacrifice and die to my own needs. And yet, God continues to be faithful to me. He continues to pursue me. He is always present, always patient, and always loving. When I think about my relationship with God, I can clearly see how God’s love for His Church correlates to His design for marriage, and that is something that Cory and I have become so aware of as we journey in this love together. That is what has strengthened our deep commitment to each other, and that is what we will hold to in the years to come. He’s the love of my life. </span></div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-83353861626567227202013-10-09T21:13:00.000-07:002013-10-09T21:13:12.265-07:00day 9: love does....<div style="text-align: center;">
so bob goff is this awesome dude who published a book called <i><a href="http://bobgoff.com/lovedoes/" target="_blank">love does</a></i>. i have been reading this book for months + had the urge to finish it tonight. fitting for this 31 day challenge of love stories!</div>
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{<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=love+does+bob&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=uyZWUtKtJc_EiwKnnoHwCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=643&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=ZTI0dr7OxjQovM%3A%3BMSNBlnPdddt3sM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F24.media.tumblr.com%252Ftumblr_m6yoznJM1g1qfxkyso1_500.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.shannon-kelley.com%252Fblog%252F2012%252F07%252Flove-does-book-review%252F%3B500%3B500" target="_blank">source</a>} </div>
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in one chapter titled "memorizing Jesus", he talks about the idea of stalking Jesus. as Christians, we try to study every ounce of the Bible, know every fact, scripture, story, etc. he wrote: "wouldn't it be horrible if we studied the ones we loved instead of bonding in deeper ways by doing things with them?" that struck me. when i first started dating Trav, i wanted to do everything with him. if he sent me a list of facts + statistics about himself, i would have been so over him. lol but i loved being with him + getting to know him by going on adventures, learning about hunting, living out life with him. </div>
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so bob was super challenged by the idea of not just studying the Bible, but by doing the Bible. instead of going to his traditional Bible study, he met with the same guys + started calling it a "Bible doing." "...we read what God has to say + then focus all of our attention on what we are going to do about it."</div>
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this has been something that has been challenging me this past year. we started going to an awesome church called new abbey where we live out what we learn from the Bible. our church is involved in the community + tries to be as much like Jesus as we can be. "If we engaged like that, you'll be able to remember Bible verses better because you're <i>living </i>them instead of just reading them."</div>
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i want to challenge ya'll to do love. don't just study it from the stories i write on here or about how we picture love to look like. <b>go live it out</b>. take someone out to get a pedicure, bring them some cookies, get to know your neighbor, have them over for dinner, hang out with the homeless, do something out of your comfort zone!</div>
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happy {HUMP} day!</div>
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xoxo</div>
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<br />joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-59531591895992207182013-10-08T16:50:00.001-07:002013-10-08T16:50:14.751-07:00day 8: love is...<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://d2nsqsbetjq79v.cloudfront.net/products/images/bb45cd711267b6ba_GiveToLove.jpg" /></div>
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{<a href="http://www.sevenly.org/product/520d3d83ae2088a904000005" target="_blank">source</a>}</div>
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1 corinthians 13:4 </div>
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<em>"love cares more for others than self. love doesn't want what it doesn't have. love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head,"</em></div>
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<strong>selfless. not jealous. not proud.</strong></div>
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those are the words that come to mind when i read the rest of verse 4. </div>
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<strong>selfless</strong>: love doesn't have to have the attention to do a good job. it just gives. selflessly gives without looking for glory. </div>
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<strong>not jealous</strong>: let's be real, sometimes its hard not to be jealous. "oh but she is prettier than me. she has a better job/ house/ car/ situation than i do." ladies + gentlemen, we can compare all day + be jealous of what we don't have, but where does that get us?! no where. + don't let me fool you! i work daily on not being jealous. it's hard. but love doesn't want what it doesn't have. a <a href="http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4613.htm" target="_blank">commentary</a> wrote : love keeps its distance from envy + does not resent it when someone else is promoted or blessed.</div>
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<strong>not proud</strong>: love focuses on the needs of others. it's humility at it's finest.</div>
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working today on being selfless, not jealous + not proud. </div>
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xoxo</div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-18480663464867996602013-10-07T11:16:00.001-07:002013-10-07T11:19:31.358-07:00day 7: love is...<div style="text-align: center;">
did that video have you undone or what?!?! i loved it. bawled my eyes out. like a baby.</div>
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so my sister gave me the idea to break down love a little bit. and by that, i mean take it back to scripture. {can i get an amen!?}</div>
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okay, so over the next couple days/weeks, we are going to dissect one of my favorite passages : 1 corinthians 13. (this was the first chapter of the Bible i ever memorized. i just LOVE it!)</div>
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<just em="" i="" know="" let="" ll="" m="" to="" ya=""><< just to let ya'll know, i'm not </just>a theologian or a bible scholar. i just love the Word of God + i'm simply trying to live out it's truths + learn from it. so if i leave out any sort of commentary or if you interpret it differently, write it in comments. would love to hear ya'lls thoughts on it! >></div>
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so i'm real into the message - let's start with <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:4&version=MSG" target="_blank">1 corinthians 13:4</a>.</div>
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<em>"love never gives up."</em></div>
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<strong>woah</strong>. </div>
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never. gives. up.</div>
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love is a second chance giver. we've all been there right? needed that second chance of love + grace? that's what love does. it doesn't give up. and then after that second chance, it's relentless. it doesn't stop. it keeps giving. </div>
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but it doesn't mean that we will <em>always</em> have success with love. like <a href="http://www.unionchurch.com/archive/052508.html" target="_blank">this</a> commentary said, "we must not give up on love simply because we have been hurt or because we haven't seen the result we hoped to see. God manifests Himself through love." </div>
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sometimes when we love, it hurts. but when i think of love never giving up, i think of our Papa Jesus who never stops loving us. His love is unconditional. it's that second chance, good, big love that will never end. it knows no limits + keeps giving. </div>
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here's a song that reminds me of this exactly : </div>
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today, i'm thankful for a love that never gives up. what a gift.</div>
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happy monday! </div>
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xo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-22049983471686626182013-10-04T09:06:00.001-07:002013-10-04T09:08:29.034-07:00day 4: leak love<div style="text-align: center;">
okay ya'll. i can't even handle this. i saw it last night for the first time + bawled my eyes out! </div>
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it's a sweet couple who loves + pursues the Lord. ryan (the groom) is a big time romantic. one day, he overheard his girlfriend at the time (now bride) telling her friend, i would love to get engaged + married on the same day. his wheels went spinning. for a year + a half, he was planning their wedding based off her pinterest board. OFF HER PINTEREST BOARD! </div>
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why don't i let you just watch this love video take place!</div>
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enjoy! happy friday!</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-41898807982667599372013-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:002013-10-03T13:23:10.349-07:00day 3 : mittman love<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><strong>day 3:</strong></em><br />
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so, i'm already <em>failing</em> at the 31 day challenge. i completely skipped day 2! my baddddd! but i'm also proud of myself cause i blogged twice in three days (not a complete fail right?!).</div>
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today, i'm sharing one of my best friend's love stories. as you can imagine, watching this story unfold was a gift. i met whit freshmen year of college + since then we can't get enough of each other. she's a creative lady who makes the most magical events take place (<a href="http://www.whitmittevents.com/" target="_blank">whit mitt events</a> shout out). her wedding to mark was one of them! </div>
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drumroll please.....</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">It all started in February 2009. Our mutual friend, Kelly,
was having a birthday party…..we met and had some small talk, found out that we
worked near each other, then went our separate ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither of us interested in pursuing a friendship
or a relationship….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">5 Months later, Whitney, in the hunt to set up her
girlfriends up on dates with gentlemen she knew, reached out to Mark via
Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her hope was that he would be
open to being set up on a date.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
many messages back and forth, they decided to meet for lunch at Cafe Beau
Soliel at Fashion Island, a location close to both of their works at the
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the very first “hello”
walking into the restaurant Whitney realized the she didn’t want to set him up
with her friends anymore, but with herself instead…after lunch was over, they
again went their separate ways, with no “let’s do this again” or “I had a great
time I would like to get to know you better”…….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">10 days later…the longest 10 days of Whitney’s life </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Cambria;">….Mark called.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That phone<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>call became one of many and dates were soon planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It only took about 3 months for both of them
to realize this was something special and 7 ½ months into dating they decided
to make it forever….Mark asked to marry Whitney on February 19,2009 and on
October 22, 2010 they were hitched in a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>dreamy Walnut Grove….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria;">“It’s been 3 years since we made a commitment to make our love
last forever…. marriage has been a gift that keeps surprising us …every season
brings ups and downs, but we grow stronger as a couple through it and thank God
for bringing us together….cheers to many and many more years!!”</span></div>
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gorgeous model couple right?! God is so good in how He brings people together. makes my heart sing! stay tuned for tomorrow's love story! xoxo</div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-44902493919513168282013-10-01T16:48:00.000-07:002013-10-01T17:08:40.520-07:0031 days challenge: love stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>day 1:</strong><br />
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<em><span style="color: red;">love</span></em>: an intense feeling of deep affection. <br />
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if ya'll know me, you know i'm a sucker for a good love story! i have been encouraged by my girlfriend katie to do a 31 day challenge blog. here i will share 31 days of love stories. </div>
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come back everyday this month to see how love develops in the most God-inspired ways!</div>
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i want to start off with my own love story.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Today's story is a <span style="color: red;">love </span>story. It all started fall semester my senior
year of college, when my sweet roommate and best friend Whitney came home from a
business class and told me bout this cute guy named Travis who was too short for
her ( she's 6') and then said- you should like him (I'm 5' - we make the oddest
best friend pair in measure of size!)! I giggled, probably facebook stalked him
and didn't think about it again until spring semester when I had two classes
with him. Now our university was small so everyone knew each other to some
degree or had at least seen the same faces around campus. Trav was someone who I
had only seen a hand full of times before the classes started. I thought he was
smokin' hot but thought he was on another level than me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">During one of our classes, we ended
up being in a group project. I got to know him a little better and thought he
was kind. In that group project was our mutual friend Noel. Noel is a fun,
outgoing matchmaker! Through the group project, the three of us somehow decided
to be business partners and start a t-shirt making company to get the class of
2008 all swagged out in senior shirts. So we went through the process of having
someone design them. We were stoked on them and decided to ask our friends what
they thought. The general consensus was: we would never buy one! So the three of
us decided we would get them just for the memory of having our first business
plan fail!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">During this time, Trav was just a
friend (who I still thought was smokin' hot). He was even dating a chick. We
ended up graduating that May and I never thought I would see him again. We all
headed our different ways and then one day I got an email. This email was from
Trav and it was to me and Noel. Being the thoughtful man he is, Trav said- let's
stay in touch by sending pictures of ourselves in our t-shirts wherever we are
in the world. Me and Noel were game!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">So we traveled, the three of us
separately to many different countries and were faithful in taking pics.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">About a year after graduation, I
was home in Vegas. I had a handful of my best girlfriends coming in town for my
22nd birthday. The day of my birthday, Trav sent me a text, that simply said-
"happy birthday Joeley! Hope it's the best!" Now meanwhile, I'm with all my best
girlfriends, didn't even know Trav was back in America and I get this text.
My.world.was.complete! All my girlfriends knew of this crush and were getting me
excited- "oh my gosh Trav texted you!" You know how girls can get! So now I'm
thinking- "WOW he must wanna MARRY me?!" Haha oh ladies, the places our heads
and hearts go from a simple text! I responded something completely dramatic I'm
sure!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">A couple weeks go by and I can't
shake Trav- still thinking about him. May 15 2009, I was sitting at the kitchen
table at my parents with my dad and guy best bud Joey. I start telling them
about this guy named Travis who I couldn't stop thinking bout. My dad and Joey
said, "Well why don't you tell him? Email him. You have nothing to lose. You
never have to see him at church or bump into him at the grocery store. He lives
in Phoenix, you're in Vegas!" They really got me pumped up. Then Joey said, "If
a girl emailed me that, I would love it!" Okay you two! I will! So literally,
emailed him, opened up talking about the weather then BAM!!!! I wrote- "I didn't
email you to talk about the weather... I have a confession. I have had a crush
on you since Senior Seminar." I wrote more about how I never want to live with
regrets and well, why not?! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And then, I waited...</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And waited some
more....</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">(patience is a virtue
right?!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">"Dad, check my email..."
(nothing!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">7 freakin' days go by! (seemed like
a year!)</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Noel was on the inside scoop and
another mutual friend of ours was visiting Trav in Phoenix when he received the
email. So Noel was sly-fully trying to ask Philip if Trav had read the email....
Philip is a good friend and didn't let a word slip! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Then finally! ... "You've got
mail!"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I opened it... slowly, carefully.
He started it off shocked. LOL He wrote about how he was humbled + flattered and
had always been interested in getting to know me better but (the big BUT) he
needed to let me know that he was pursuing another girl. My heart dropped. The
craziest part was that I never felt rejected. God was protecting my heart! I
felt like Trav, even as a friend, cared for my heart, had integrity, and
character. I read it, processed, prayed and let it go. I shared that with a
couple friends and didn't talk much about it. I never wrote him back. I didn't
have anything to say.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">That summer, we both did some more
traveling, so we continued to email pictures between the three of us. It never
felt weird to maintain a friendship. I really felt God humble me in this time. I
couldn't understand His ways or timing but I never stopped trusting. I knew that
God had my best, and I held tight to His promises of bringing me a man that I
had always prayed for (yes ladies, I prayed for my husband since I was
12!). </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Some time goes by (May- late
September) and I'm having a blast living the single lady life (honesty + rawness
right?!). I was dating a couple guys, getting dinners paid for, movie nights
out, etc. Then I get a text from Trav saying he needed to talk to me. He was
getting ready to go to Africa and wanted to chat about orphans (since he knew
that was my heart). I didn't hesitate in chatting about orphans so I said, "yes-
let's chat!" We played phone tag for a while and then finally, as I'm boarding a
plane for Asia, we talk. I asked if we could Skype when I landed in Singapore
for a layover. We did. For an hour. And boy oh boy was it fun! We laughed and
had some serious heart to hearts. It was so good! I thought- what a fun friend I
have in Travis!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">That trip in Asia was amazing. We
were in India, Indonesia, and Singapore. During a conference session, our pastor
had told us all to come to the altar and pray with our families, and if we were
single, to pray about our future spouses. I was praying and the Lord told me, "I
am preparing you to be a bride." And I was stoked! "Thanks Lord! I love being
the Bride of Christ!" He was thinking another bride but I had no clue what was
coming! </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">When we landed from that trip at
the end of September, me and Trav had been in more contact. He was getting ready
for Africa, I had just come back from that missions trip. I was sharing
different things God did in and through our team during that time and then
another BAM! He said, "Hey, I found round-trip tickets to Vegas for like $40!
Can I come visit you in January (Southwest has those deals sometimes- don't ever
hesitate to hop a plane somewhere!)?!" I automatically think- "He is bringing
that girl he is pursuing out here and they are going to go to the Little White
Wedding Chapel and I'm going to be the Maid of Honor..." But I said, "Yes, come
out!"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">We continue chatting before he
heads out to Africa. While he is gone is Africa, God told me to get rid of
distractions. I kindly told some guys that it just wasn't going to work and
broke it off with all of them (when I say all, I mean like 4- not 20 or
anything!). Everyday Trav was gone, I covered him in prayer. I never prayed for
dudes the way I prayed for Trav. (Meanwhile, we were planning a family trip out
to Arizona to visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving.)</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Trav lands and texts me straight
off the plane: "Hey Joeley! Just landed in the good U S of A. How are you?!!" I
was hanging with my mom, sister and girlfriend Christa and couldn't believe he
texted me straight off the plane (in my mind, he was still pursuing that other
girl!). We texted for a while and he even asked if there was any dudes he had to
be in competition with and I let him know there wasn't. I asked about the girl,
and he told me that she is no longer in the picture. Then, he let me know he was
going to be in Michigan for a little and was headed back to Phoenix the same
time we would be there for Thanksgiving! He initiated a hang sesh and I was so
down for that!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">He picked me up at my grandparent's
house in Goodyear, AZ. We strolled through a park, had a 3 hour walk and chat
with a Starbucks in hand. We had a blast! Then the next night, he took me and my
sister out. We went and had hot chocolate and laughed, chatted and my sister
grilled him with a ton of questions (thanks smash :) ). I was prayerful this
whole time. I didn't want to invest my heart into a relationship that was not of
God. I knew the next guy I seriously dated would be my husband so there was no
messing around for me!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">We got to know each other better,
through Skype dates (we sometimes dressed up and had dinner or dessert together
via Skype) and a lot of phone calls. He invited me to Tamale Day in December, a
couple weeks after I was out there for Thanksgiving. His family has gotten
together to do this tradition for decades. I decided why not risk it and go out
there and meet everyone?! At this point, we weren't even officially dating or
anything! During the drive from Vegas to Phoenix, I almost turned around about 3
times, thinking- What the heck am I doing?!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I went to Tamale Day. Fell in love
with his family. Went on a date to Zoo Lights where he told me he wanted to
pursue me. (I thought he already was?!?! LOL). We started "courting" and the
weekend after that, he came to Vegas where he met my crazy beautiful family and
fell in love with them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">We started driving or flying or
meeting in the middle of Phoenix and Vegas often. It was then January, the
weekend we had originally bought his plane ticket for and he flew out with our
best of friends Fallon + Philip. The four of us had a memorable, wonderful
weekend! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">After that weekend, we were
together after Fallon + Philip had left and he asked me to be his girlfriend
(finallllly!)!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">There were months of long distance,
where my heart would hurt every time we had to leave each other. God had His
timing in this too. After 7 hard, long months, I was finally able to move to
Phoenix to be with my love and know what it meant to do daily life together.
What a treasure!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Through this love story, there were
definitely times of feeling inadequate, working through baggage, learning what
it meant to love selflessly, and learning to trust God. If anything, I wanted
this story to shed some light on something... God has His way of working things
out. If they don't look like what you thought they would, don't worry, He always
has our best. Trust Him always. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIT82HuPlpVLi4pCByDhGg7rHcV1mAm5c8CgenWDKr0jVSvsaQQkRfLI5QYbxD_K2L4HBqZQ2B7aFg6a0A8tLULpXkPI_U1QcFeVcK7axSrmkiV6WiSdLC3w60dG2CL587TLzgWt3HXuM/s1600/xo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIT82HuPlpVLi4pCByDhGg7rHcV1mAm5c8CgenWDKr0jVSvsaQQkRfLI5QYbxD_K2L4HBqZQ2B7aFg6a0A8tLULpXkPI_U1QcFeVcK7axSrmkiV6WiSdLC3w60dG2CL587TLzgWt3HXuM/s320/xo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"></span> </div>
</span><br /></div>
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</span><br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-11124814259779537662013-09-18T21:01:00.000-07:002013-09-18T21:03:18.437-07:00date morning<div style="text-align: center;">
it's been a while since i've posted! since we've been back from africa, we've been so busy! i haven't even been able to update our happenings! my bad....</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
so, we decided we live in one of the coolest cities in the world + need to explore the LA area more. we are going to do a monthly post on our explorations. for our first one....</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we headed to <em>venice beach</em>!</div>
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</div>
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i wanted it to be fun + spontaneous but wanted to create a little itineary (if you know trav, you know he loves this kind of stuff): </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iuVb-t3mmJnvu44blUjcmL8FcDxvMbfBj-eCxxUh1ZXaUa8V2dTnXD9s_sM-VjtehmcJuwE9uoj_XTQ2HHPVX6Voudj9SIdaHSfMr51_NWQxOhxKfTZCIYVIgJghUhlLZ57McoQ59SQ/s1600/plan+attack2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iuVb-t3mmJnvu44blUjcmL8FcDxvMbfBj-eCxxUh1ZXaUa8V2dTnXD9s_sM-VjtehmcJuwE9uoj_XTQ2HHPVX6Voudj9SIdaHSfMr51_NWQxOhxKfTZCIYVIgJghUhlLZ57McoQ59SQ/s320/plan+attack2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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headed to <a href="http://26beachrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">26 beach restaurant</a>, so good! granola + berries for me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xBlp6K-xqyyyew_ELYENx8M2SncUZUPJWvWeL5-aseQtvtmgRMXBIYLqZeYjgWmDd_G0ljP8djvlK3GiBVWDcAB5DA5sSiNb_cG8nMqLoiCnt_lfolSdQFMW2XLf7XLF_5_tnhwhw4g/s1600/granola+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xBlp6K-xqyyyew_ELYENx8M2SncUZUPJWvWeL5-aseQtvtmgRMXBIYLqZeYjgWmDd_G0ljP8djvlK3GiBVWDcAB5DA5sSiNb_cG8nMqLoiCnt_lfolSdQFMW2XLf7XLF_5_tnhwhw4g/s320/granola+me.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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trav got lemon french toast (that cream on top is to die for! i started eating the cream with my bananas - LOL fat girl moment)!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirChqNb8KrLeUcouGsB-3FA-TD7Tl3qOAcPy_i7XQsBW_AdJ4UPt1DoWjlYfhvMN29W903FW40CDnVstrtgSMv9E1EbvVOfQn4sw4xx1RynvQWgiP45t3gRRHR5QaRkaoUoZ3omFulLc8/s1600/pancake+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirChqNb8KrLeUcouGsB-3FA-TD7Tl3qOAcPy_i7XQsBW_AdJ4UPt1DoWjlYfhvMN29W903FW40CDnVstrtgSMv9E1EbvVOfQn4sw4xx1RynvQWgiP45t3gRRHR5QaRkaoUoZ3omFulLc8/s320/pancake+me.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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we ventured to the canals which were built in the early 1900s. the architect wanted to bring a feel of italy to america + built these canals. they are so romantic! with gorgeous homes surrounding them.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
ow owwwww! my husband is so hot!</div>
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my hair turned frizz afro! lol</div>
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how romantic ya?!?!</div>
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then we cruised the main street, abbott kinney. cute little shops + restaurants for days! need to go back + really explore. </div>
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we stumbled upon a cute farmers market + collected some of my favorites:</div>
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sunflowers. </div>
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lemonade (and a cool photo).</div>
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+ berries!</div>
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ya'll need to get to venice. it's happening there! </div>
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hope you enjoyed. go plan a fun date + tell me what you did. </div>
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xoxo</div>
joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-19909809903839234702013-08-21T10:09:00.000-07:002013-08-21T10:09:04.977-07:00africa in a nutshell<div style="text-align: center;">
how do i describe the last 2 weeks?</div>
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words that come to mind first are : difficult, rewarding + joyful.</div>
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<em>difficult</em>:</div>
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our team was full of champs! when we landed in amsterdam, we found out that the nairobi airport was on fire. so our flights were cancelled until further notice. due to this, we were unable to go to the ethiopian part of our trip. it was devastating + difficult to understand why this was happening? thank God for modern technology though because we were able to wire our ethiopian friends money to still do the kids camp, pastors workshop + all other events we had planned for them.</div>
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it was also difficult being in the same clothes for days at a time + in airports. but some how, we made it work (even though i'm sure we smelled!)!</div>
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<em>rewarding</em>:</div>
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our team was incredible to serve alongside. we bonded immediately + worked great together! it was so rewarding to the change that has taken place over the last 4-5 years of our team serving there! because of their efforts, 50 orphan boys are funded for school each year. the church + the church plants have grown! God is up to something huge in Kenya + it's rewarding to see a glimpse! </div>
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<em>joyful</em>:</div>
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while we were there, me + trav walked through some personal devastating news. we aren't ready to share, but we were in a lot of pain. reflecting on it, we were so thankful to be in a place where we were surrounded by so much joy!</div>
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i'm so thankful for the time we had there. kenya, fountain of life, our 50 boys, thank you. you are just what i needed. and thank you to everyone who supported us with finances + prayer. we felt covered the entire time we were there. so truly, thanks times a million.</div>
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here are some of my fav snaps of the week! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEgWGyhZm31_GRKm_5R2TVw9Ti_LUhZrDKqB1bT0SgtEam6mGEupHRcuOLpXm-Gs0df9pQDcmLp7rEcmAT2jGgTA2X2I32hytgwbbTW89ZR364ws8ag3utLBDYNxrXNcbpcUPTmM0QZk/s1600/st+kids.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEgWGyhZm31_GRKm_5R2TVw9Ti_LUhZrDKqB1bT0SgtEam6mGEupHRcuOLpXm-Gs0df9pQDcmLp7rEcmAT2jGgTA2X2I32hytgwbbTW89ZR364ws8ag3utLBDYNxrXNcbpcUPTmM0QZk/s320/st+kids.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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everytime we got on the bus, all the street kids would stand at the bottom + waive us off. </div>
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kids camp with the slum kids!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcL96-XB8Wr0dL0SBVhEPBkwM4CaTumGXtned8XanQ2NYFT4QDxTD1HEQq2Wa9i3gtWf_7F0a8eF47L5IT28NXImDtVuk7w5r3yssfs9D3ezUBfLKyV-wGYxGWBJ1sIblmIgJmP8Bkqw/s1600/jump.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcL96-XB8Wr0dL0SBVhEPBkwM4CaTumGXtned8XanQ2NYFT4QDxTD1HEQq2Wa9i3gtWf_7F0a8eF47L5IT28NXImDtVuk7w5r3yssfs9D3ezUBfLKyV-wGYxGWBJ1sIblmIgJmP8Bkqw/s320/jump.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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they get so creative with entertainment!</div>
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my favorite day! 50 orphan boys getting new clothes. the dressing room became a cat walk! lol</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XLRy-klsTY7cVkxrKfqFq4Hs2efUe8GF6CxmWT6zTMZavTI3YJikXaGG7otfun4Bk7U3A-rPu8gYDd5GMAMVGHYFwv-DZX0yJBj65qIIAjWlqvEAXU6ggY4XkJI4ll4rkySbIoY63fQ/s1600/boys.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XLRy-klsTY7cVkxrKfqFq4Hs2efUe8GF6CxmWT6zTMZavTI3YJikXaGG7otfun4Bk7U3A-rPu8gYDd5GMAMVGHYFwv-DZX0yJBj65qIIAjWlqvEAXU6ggY4XkJI4ll4rkySbIoY63fQ/s320/boys.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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my sexy husband leading the older boys in a bible study.</div>
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5 years ago, we made these shirts as business partners. today, we wear them alongside two of our favorite african brothers!</div>
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hope you enjoyed. </div>
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xoxo</div>
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joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-56412356411406750282013-08-18T03:55:00.001-07:002013-08-18T03:55:31.450-07:00last day in Africa!what a wild week! from airports being on fire, to being stuck in Amsterdam, to arriving to a place that has truly captured my heart!<div><br></div><div>today is our last day with the boys! yesterday was the best! we brought 50</div><div>orphan boys to the mall - they got to pick out a brand new outfit of their choice. after that, we had a yummy lunch @ the park + then headed to our afternoon out @ the Super Bowl! lol the boys bowled for the first time! it was the best to see them "throw the ball" and some even got strikes! </div><div><br></div><div>we had a nice dinner @ a restaurant downtown with everyone! it was the best. my heart is so full it could explode! </div><div><br></div><div>here are some favorite shots :</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSxUawH1c9J124TN3gOzrHuSVvZb1wGEwzbiO4V8FM5GUBicdtCy_3UWI_VcyFtSBzZyHgYFz0hFjtmKh6RhV6besozMFDH8z_PRoudAvFZPEOHA9QkQtxs7gxCybNiPDDFomNY3-xrU/s640/blogger-image--785832412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWSxUawH1c9J124TN3gOzrHuSVvZb1wGEwzbiO4V8FM5GUBicdtCy_3UWI_VcyFtSBzZyHgYFz0hFjtmKh6RhV6besozMFDH8z_PRoudAvFZPEOHA9QkQtxs7gxCybNiPDDFomNY3-xrU/s640/blogger-image--785832412.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">as you can imagine - 50 boys shopping in one store! wild!</div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r0Jun5KlyN8UR67fsBvUonnvYxoaZaakP_5UorCpBWBdeUy-9WYnhpOKoxVM_LxT_DPu9FGXk9U5U2CkHPSUzEau574gYpCrsDhVt6EocFi5gLsJ8HUPW2J0vvGWdSzkgKVMW-XG1os/s640/blogger-image-1141835980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r0Jun5KlyN8UR67fsBvUonnvYxoaZaakP_5UorCpBWBdeUy-9WYnhpOKoxVM_LxT_DPu9FGXk9U5U2CkHPSUzEau574gYpCrsDhVt6EocFi5gLsJ8HUPW2J0vvGWdSzkgKVMW-XG1os/s640/blogger-image-1141835980.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">the boys figured out they could take pix on my phone + upload them to their facebooks! they had a full on photo shoot in the bowling alley! lol</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickhEJg1mN8xdrq0iYpeb7SdeKzbhS6YWMyuaKm7y-OJbwPh9QOItItd8TwJCnXgOsDI5uPdg0pYCo9ZBeax9hz__XsQiT6dNxz2h5XOMm9HNNaHhdypB23YCT_c1LlZyaNosn1kuk57Y/s640/blogger-image-1939349608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickhEJg1mN8xdrq0iYpeb7SdeKzbhS6YWMyuaKm7y-OJbwPh9QOItItd8TwJCnXgOsDI5uPdg0pYCo9ZBeax9hz__XsQiT6dNxz2h5XOMm9HNNaHhdypB23YCT_c1LlZyaNosn1kuk57Y/s640/blogger-image-1939349608.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">it rained! aka : flooded!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3p4OupvKptrxh4xpfoD0r9udIjaczmR0AXCLVYbzKxW5RzcXFurE-qcmwlRsCH-cdUIhk5cSNioFCDGsJvDlAHhaAqcwFZpSTrkSjq7fnLJgfcmsD-88Ghh2k7wel6sEFrQVUGm7K22A/s640/blogger-image-1577270491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3p4OupvKptrxh4xpfoD0r9udIjaczmR0AXCLVYbzKxW5RzcXFurE-qcmwlRsCH-cdUIhk5cSNioFCDGsJvDlAHhaAqcwFZpSTrkSjq7fnLJgfcmsD-88Ghh2k7wel6sEFrQVUGm7K22A/s640/blogger-image-1577270491.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">dinner with everyone!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">we have a full day planned of boys university! they will be diving into the word + of course playing futbol. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">thank you for your prayers! will keep you updated on our return! love y'all! xoxo</div><br></div><br></div><br></div><br></div>joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7947444727220873332.post-18305187725576352152013-08-08T21:41:00.001-07:002013-08-08T23:02:28.283-07:00hello from Amsterdam!<br><div>when we landed in Amsterdam + headed to our connecting flight to find out the Nairobi airport had a crazy fire that burned majority of the airport. if we had traveled a day earlier, we would have been there during the fire. we are thankful for a God who goes before us + protects! so obviously they weren't flights landing in Nairobi so sweet delta has been so generous to us ( travel packs with xxl large white tees - trust me, I needed some clothes!). </div><div><br></div><div>though it has been devastating to experience this + possibly not go to the Ethiopian part of our trip, we trust God had this planned for a reason. so we have learned to embrace His plan with joyful hearts. since we can't do anything about our circumstance - we might as well enjoy where we are + who we are with!<br><div><br></div><div>our team took a much needed trip into downtown Amsterdam since we are stranded! we toured, took pix + enjoyed buying some new clothes (we also don't have our luggage). </div><div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yz-H76FPYzhYlVbAntx1Z9vaVvmdCCDMaRnILSDkqXA8LAmac0pe0Ih5PWVH3pTNGWyGsYnr30ibDHrLJohDZB8M5XUIz32F3iybz531v5q7YearP5KP40gM0exf0DBlX6L8_N9fwSc/s640/blogger-image-1068175644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3yz-H76FPYzhYlVbAntx1Z9vaVvmdCCDMaRnILSDkqXA8LAmac0pe0Ih5PWVH3pTNGWyGsYnr30ibDHrLJohDZB8M5XUIz32F3iybz531v5q7YearP5KP40gM0exf0DBlX6L8_N9fwSc/s640/blogger-image-1068175644.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I guess I only took one pix on my phone but here's where their union station is. beautiful architecture + buildings, canals for days and a crap load of bikes! I guess 750,000 people live here + there are 800,000 bikes! every where you look people are on them or have them parked in these awesome parking garages! everyone seems so fit! *side note : need to invest in Amsterdam bike! </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">the plan is to hop a flight to Dubai + that will connect us to Nairobi! we head out this afternoon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">thanks for the prayers + kind words. we definitely feel them! love y'all + will keep you posted!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div>joeley hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05551330780816894126noreply@blogger.com0