Our not so good news.

So last post we got to share good news with you, but as life is a mixed bag, today we have not as good news.

Friday evening Kent found out, through a yearly checkup they do at his work, that he has Type 1 Diabetes.
I know. What? He is healthy, young, but not as young as most people who get diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
We know what it is - our good friend Meg was diagnosed a few years back. But it has really thrown me for a loop, that my Kent has it now too.
It might as well be my own body.
On Monday he is going in to get equipped with his insulin and begin what will be an extensive schooling on managing this day to day.
We are only beginning to wrap our heads around this, and while we are so thankful for so much, it is a little daunting that so much of the simple things in our life just got a lot more complicated.
Eating isn't as simple, or going to work, or getting a cold, or getting old. And today I cried a little in the Whole Foods Special Diet aisle.
How did I get here?
I've always avoided the substituted nonsense in this aisle like the plague. I like real food, pure and simple. But this is our life now, just not as simple.
So I bought quinoa. (Not a fan. It tastes like dirt.) But I am buying it now, in a variety of forms: chips, pasta, frozen, dried, come to mama!
And I am resigned to the fact that although we have always been pretty healthy eaters, we are going to be probably taking it the level where you will be forced to roll your eyes at us.
So many new things, and some of them are a little bit scary.
So stay tuned. Pray with us, share this with us, but Kent asks only one thing.
Please pronounce it dia-bee-teez not dia-beet-us.
Wilford Brimley, we are looking at you.

Our not so good news.

Our great news.

Remember that exciting news I alluded to here?
Well, the deal is done, and some of our favorite people have just become Seattle transplants.
The story goes, that at the beginning of the school year in Kent's 2nd year of college there was a new guy on the hall which Kent was told he would either love or become mortal enemies with (as they are pretty similar in a lot of ways).
It was of course the former, and his awesome wife Greta and two sweet girls are one of our favorite families, and it was one of the biggest bummers that we had to leave them behind when we left Virginia 6 years ago.
Well Zach got a job out here, drove across the country yesterday, and the whole family joins us tomorrow!
It's going to be equal parts fun and crazy as we get to share a home for a while, to welcome them home, and to give them the time to hunt for a place that's just right for them. So you might not see much of me here for a few bits.
But we can't wait to start sharing life with this great family.

BOOM! That's one more set of names we get to check off of our WA wish list.
Lindz, Sarah.....you guys are next!

Longest-Ever Weekend

What a great week.
Kent took the whole work week off last week, to use up some "use it or lose it" vacation time before things get crazy through the end of the year.
So we have had ourselves a great little home staycation.
And we didn't fill the week with house renovations, or travel, or even capital P Plans.

But we did:

-Make an epic homemade biscuits and gravy breakfast. Where we both did our personal bests in both sausage gravy and cheddar/herb biscuit categories. And then spent the rest of the day patting ourselves on the back and saying things like " No seriously, we should open up a biscuit restaurant!"

- Dedicate a whole morning to The Great Waffle Debate: Belgian vs American waffles.  I favor Belgian, while Kent prefers its smaller squared counterparts. Well, how are we going to buy a waffle iron that day if we don't....
Start a heated debate on Kent's Facebook feed resulting in 45 passionate and surprisingly scientific comments, all culminating in a landslide victory for Belgian Waffles, the peoples choice.
Is it coincidence that I ate a homemade Belgian waffle this morning?

-All the weekday things I do with the kids together, making the library, Target, Trader Joes, and preschool drop off/pick ups waaay more fun in the process. (Seriously, I'm worried now. How did I do all of this by myself before? And How will I do it again this week? Life just got too easy.)

- Have friends over for Kent's Spaghetti and Meatballs and Chocolate Guinness Cake, then cracking open War of the Ring (the epically proportioned LOTR board game, that took 2 hours just to begin going over the rules.)

-Laundry, Goodwill drop offs, organize closets, and various chores to muster up appetites and keep us feeling useful.

-Watch a ton of Bob's Burgers.

-Meet our friend Richard for lunch and go record shopping in Ballard and Fremont, where we met an orange man* on a run who gave G a pair of glasses, which was both not surprising (for Fremont) and the cherry on top of a great afternoon.
"It was a good day. And at the end I got orange glasses from an orange man." -G

It has all felt like one heap long, awesome, lazy weekend. And I am bracing myself for this next week like a nude man about to do a polar swim.
Say a little prayer! Here we go...

*Literally head to toe, faceless, spandex suit of neon orange.

Oliver Fast Facts: 1 1/2

Favorite Expression: "Yeah!" (nods head vigorously)

Favorite Toys: Daddy's xbox (on and off, on and off, all day long), any lamp he can reach (on and off, on and off, all day long), the garden hose, and the tape measure.

Accomplishments: Several new crooked teeth, puts his shoes away (in his own basket) when he sees them lying around, and has the ability to be amazingly conversational while only utilizing one word. Do you want some string cheese? "Yeah!" Do you want to go on a walk? "Yeah!" Should I wear this scarf? "Yeah!" I love talking to him. He's so positive.

Loves: Dogs, indoor climbing*, the great outdoors, talking to Siri (as pictured), and snuggling.

Fast facts don't come close to capturing Oliver's true "Woggyness". His Joy, his fast feet, big energy, and wonky toothed grins, there is so much grinning.
When I look at him playing or eating, just being him, it's like drinking a big glass of something that
I didn't even know my heart was desperate for.
This boy! I could just pick him up right now and kiss those cheeks.
Except I wont, that would be foolishness. He is napping, and if anyone so much as makes a sound that attributes to his early waking, I will contort into a primordial rage monster and howl at the moon.

Sleep times are sacred times.


* He's scaled every piece of furniture in the house, except for his crib.

Getting Crafty: Polymer Necklace

Yesterday Greta and I got crafty.
And while I consider myself fairly artsy, it is very rare that I venture into crafty territory. But Greta was stuck home from church yesterday with a cold, and we got the crafty bug!
Have you seen all the cute polymer clay jewelry going around? I keep adding them to my favorites on etsy, when really...they are truly so easy to make at home.
All you need is some sculpy clay, which I had from a failed attempt at homemade Christmas Ornaments last year, so there you go, a necklace is born like a phoenix from the ashes.
Just roll out your shapes, bake for 1/2 an hour, and then paint!
And this is just my style.
I don't do jewelry much. I wear the same silver studs year round until they get weird and gunky, and then forget to put them back in for 3 weeks. Top this sleek look off with some nerdy glasses* and then you just might be as fancy as me.
But I think mostly it's just because the right jewelry doesn't often come along.
I don't do gems or precious metals, (I like to remind Kent sometimes how lucky he is he got a girl like me). I'm much more drawn to something that is unique, approachable, and fun.
And I think this fits the bill, prolly going to wear it everyday.


* That I love, but I know they will cause me to cringe as I look back at them 20 years from now.

Zimbags Fall/Winter Shoot

Yesterday the lovely ladies of Zimbags and I went down to UW to take some pictures for the new Fall/Winter line.
This season, our women in Zimbabwe handmade some really fun messenger bags, laptop bags, and sweet clutches, perfect for heading back to school.
Amy was our model for the day, and was an angel about putting up with ridiculous directions like "You know, just react to the bag...or do this incredibly awkward thing, but look natural."
It was so fun being on a college campus again, especially with these ladies I've known since High School.
I'm sure there was laughing and being too loud (as what usually happens when girls gather), but it was a great day, with the bonus for it being for a really good cause.
So stay tuned, there's going to be lots more Zimbags love coming your way in the next month!