a birthday gift

Seriously, May is the MONTH to be born! Off the top of my head -
My sweet stepdad, Gibson's birthday is this month.
My mom's.
My nephew Abel's.
Lauren Tate's.
Leigh Ladd's.
Tres' birthday will be this month.

But today, is Miss Lauren Hogan's 25th birthday.

There are lots of things I'd like to give her:
Since she's living in Charlotte now, I could meet her at East Blvd. Starbucks for a coffee, then we could go to Cantina for lunch or maybe just grab a sandwich at Laurel Market. I would definitely give her some of those bottom of the feet detox pads since I know she's always been curious and and I'd also love to give her - oh, say, a million dollars.

None of those things am I able to do this morning - but I do love & miss her and want her to feel appreciated so, I will give her this - a picture of my massively oversized 35.5 week pregnant belly. Just for giggles.


Don't adjust your screen Lauren - that whole gift is just for you. I know Tres will love you just as much as our other kids do. We miss you, lady.

jess

larlar tribute #1

This will be blog Issue #1 of how many it takes to honor our sweet Lauren. I'm going to just randomly list some of my favorite memories and things about her.

1. One day about a month after Glory was born, I was helping Lar trim her hair and made it look identical to mine. This prompted us to dress up like one another to the extreme. I made her carry Glory around for like thirty minutes. Here is the blog she wrote about it.

2. One of my favorite things about Lauren is she really likes to impress you with stories or information. Atleast once a day, she'll tell me that she is about to make my day by some info she has for me. However, she refuses to let you impress her with your bits of news. When I tell her something and expect her to just die laughing or with excitement, her response is usually: "well, obviously". She keeps me humble.

3. When Lauren emailed me to show her interest in coming to New Beginnings - her entry line was literally, "I mean - I could come and help fold laundry or something". She is service oriented to a fault and will give until she actually dies. For this reason, I helped write an email to a potential job prospect this week and forced her to type the word "hire" and delete the words, "help out".

4. This picture.
from now until forever, a picture of love ingrained in my memory will be Lauren, standing in the kitchen, covered in flour - making something. A cake, some bread, some lasagna - something.

5. You have to love someone that you has seen the same kind of crazy you've seen and knows neither of you could ever explain the bulk of it to someone else. Some phrases I could say to Lauren in ten years and we would both either cry, roll our eyes, or die laughing:
"my mom cooked with honey!" (there's a shoutout for you Kendra), twin pictures, pepper monster, Mason, the dungeon, juicy ******, goat meat, drunk jimmy, crazy m and her voices that night, back alley prowlin, baby teething necklaces, glory & Rodney Dangerfield, brittanynicole, the kind of people who wear christian tshirts, monday nights - or was it Tuesday?, swings in the closet, shrek hair, pink hair, tendrils, dominating - whether it be Glory or Beulah, "yeeesssss", baby snatchers, and people.com quizzes.
Just to name a few.

... ok, look out for installation number 2 coming soon.

your birthday every day

When we were praying about coming out here to be the houseparents at New Beginnings, I kept getting so excited about being their for the birth of babies. I would picture myself holding their feet and grunting with them, maybe quietly shedding a tear when she did the final push - standing silently on the side of the room the first time she held her baby. I constantly would tell people, "it's like your birthday every day!". Outside of Jesus & my family, labor and delivery is about one of my favorite things in the world. 

We've had twelve girls live here over the course of the year and because of circumstances, I've only gotten to be present when one of the babies was born - and it was a c-section. For a few Nick has been out of town, for some Glory had just been born, and in general - I've just not been able to be there. Lauren has been a great assistant and is there for them, but in the back of my heart, I'm always dying a little bit when I get the text in the middle of the night saying the baby is out & I'm at home - wishing I could have been there. 

Switch the focus to Victoria, one of our newest girls who we are pretty much in love with. Right after her interview, I told Nick, "I want her baby". Of course, I was kidding - but she is truly the whole reason we think New Beginnings exists. She has a great, supportive family - but just needed some time and space away for the end of her pregnancy and birth, to feel taken care of and get some peace. We got a major little shock tonight before dinner when we found out that she is going to be induced tomorrow due to some minor complications. 

She really only just found out she was pregnant a month or so ago, and tomorrow she is going to be a mama. The adoptive family that is going to raise her baby just found out that they're having a baby tomorrow too, & they're coming tonight to meet her. Right now we're in the middle of an emergency childbirth class and after this we have about a zillion things to do to prepare. She is still in a bit of shock, but her sweet little heart is taking it all in stride. 

If you would, pray for her tomorrow. Pray for her sweet baby girl, for their new family. Pray for her biological family and the doctors who will take care of her. And if you think of it, pray that I'll be able to contain my excitement because I will actually get to be at the hospital WITH Lauren if everything goes as planned. It is one last hurrah for us together and a really sweet gift from the Lord. I mean, it's all really about Victoria tomorrow, but I'd by lying if I said I wasn't about to pee my pants. But don't worry - I'll keep a calm face and won't mention that I feel like it's my birthday because I'm so excited. 

not the messiah, at best a prophet

Sorry if the title confused you and you thought I was going to have a good word for you today, friends. Nope, this is just a blog bash in response to Lauren's lost theory.

Some things she said truthfully:

- our nights of ice cream debauchery while Nick studies are indeed fun

- she does not listen/watch well and then subsequently gets lost and then presses pause sixteen times per frame

- I do indeed iron my sheets & I will not apologize for it - do it once & you'll never go back.

Some things she should have said:

- I do not get confused about Lost, I'm on the same page with the writers and I believe I could write the ending better than they themselves can.

- I don't agree AT ALL with her trinitarian lost ideology. Not in the slightest.

The truth:

- John Locke is obviously not the messiah of the island. Everyone (Ben, Richard Halpert, & now Charles Widmore) is taking advantage of his crazy faith in the island. They're telling him he is special and he is nothing more than a pawn. Does the island bring him back to life? SURE. Did it de-paralyze him? Sure. Did it do the same thing for Christian, Jack's dad? Yes. If you have any sense at all you can deduce that John Locke is no more special than anyone else. When he leaves the island, he becomes an accident prone fool once again.

- I also do not agree with the trinitarian theory because I believe that the major villains would like us to believe there are religious undertones to the island's power - while truly they are all scientific. If ANYONE should be the messiah, we should look to Farraday. Yes, the crazy skinny scientist who in truth - has probably been alive since the time of the real Messiah (Jesus, not John Locke - since John Locke is nobody's messiah) himself. Farraday is the key.

- The pepper monster is nothing more than a biproduct of the space time continuum & should not be considered be linked with the Holy Spirit in the slightest. Oh, and Jacob? Come on - he is the ultimate sham.

Now, you can take your Lost advice from anyone you choose but here is where I rest my case. What Miss Hogan did not tell you is that last night, on the verge of tears, she pleaded that she herself needed a 'constant' to help her make sense of the time-flash-changing-phenomenon. I did not need such help. I would just like to know where baby Aaron is, thank you.

quickie

Nick and I are at "A Day with Dr. Don" at Mars Hill, hearing Dr. DA Carson give four different mini-lectures. So far I've felt really blessed by his wisdom and overwhelmed with thankfulness for a few hours to sit beside my husband, learn a little, and discuss something really important to his heart - theology.

I'm also REALLY thankful to LarLar for watching the kids all day while we enjoy this together! We ichatted with the kiddos during our break and you can see what gets to put up with:

5 wishes

So Lauren and I were inspired by watching Aladdin tonight (don't ask) and made each other name five wishes. We stuck to the genie's rules about not killing anyone, not raising anyone from the dead, and not causing anyone to fall in love.

Judge them all you want, but here are my five. And mind you; I made my wishes up on the spot - so don't hate.

1. That no one in my immediate family would die in the next 40 years.
2. That all of my kids would come to know Christ.
3. That I could eat whatever I want without gaining weight, ever. Yeah - I said it.
4. That I could have a billion dollars, tax free, with no questions asked from the government.
5. That I could give birth vaginally - just once, all natural - grunt grunt, push push.

Now I'd like to hear YOURS. Give em. Let them be a little bit shallow.

A few Tidbits

- I love it when Godly woman use sarcasm to express righteous anger. Please read.

- Nick and I went to Portland, Oregon today and it was so fun! He's going to Western Seminary starting this fall (on Mondays and over the internet) so I got to see his school, his favorite bookstore - Powells, and quite possibly the greatest thrift store in the world. I got a beautiful designer dress for Mere's rehearsal dinner (SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEDDING!) for $13.00!

- I really did love seeing Portland. It is definitely the kind of place I really enjoyed visiting, but I don't think I'd want to live there. I told Nick that I felt better as a person for having seen people and a place like that, so committed to social change and the health of our world. I want to always be intentional to let Christ do that work in me, that wants health for the environment, the world, and God's people. Please do picture me getting accosted by a greenpeace worker. Normally I would feel a little perturbed to be stopped in the middle of the street when I was in a hurry, but something about working for a nonprofit makes my heart a little more inclined to hear people out about stuff like that now. He was a cute little greenpeace worker too, and by cute I meet fumbly and nervous.... and I quote, "they've cut down like like like four whole france's or something of forest". Cutey.

- Speaking of Merry, my sweet best friend from college is getting married on September 20th and I am so excited. She, along with rest of my fabulous bridesmaids, made my wedding day so incredibly amazing. I am really so ready to be there for her, to make her feel as special as she is, and to honor her and Craig as they start this new little adventure. ALSO, I'm going to be taking my first trip sans-babies. I'm excited, sad, thrilled, scared, and confident in Nick all at once. Today was good preparation since it was the first time I'd left Glory for more than like 4 hours, but 4 days is going to be a whole other story!

- While we were gone today, Lauren had an amazing time with the kids. I can tell they had an amazing time with her too! She even took a little video with both of them for my (and your) viewing pleasure!

love me some lauren

my girl, lo, just let me read some writing and I had to share these lines with the world:

how can i ever feel comfortable, all the while knowing the capacity for pain?

there's nothing worse than being loved--but as someone very different from yourself.

i am full to the top--things to say--fears to speak out loud, and vanish into whatever place spoken insecurities go to die.

ha ha ha haha ha....

I am thoroughly pleased with myself. Our assistant anf good friend, Lauren, has a small problem keeping up with her cell phone. She had recently lost it for a matter of weeks & it was quite frustrating to not be able to reach her. Just yesterday she got a new one in the mail and we all breathed a massive sigh of relief.

Imagine my surprise when today I found she had gone out for an errand and LEFT IT HERE. We were all amused watching Lauren scurry around the house completing the scavenger hunt I set up for her to find her phone. Teeeee heeeee.