life moves

I thought maybe it would work for both Matt & I to write blogs on here. However, Matt is writing in like 3 blogs for various reasons, so it's not very practical for him to write in here very often. I thought I'd take a few minutes to update you on a few things we're amped about.

Over Memorial Weekend, we made a holiday hanging in and around Bakersfield. Saturday we spent perusing shops in downtown Bakersfield, (I found a fabulous store I love called Tangerine and if someone can give me $150, I'll buy this incredible shirt there. hehe), swimming, eating pizza and watching movies. Sunday we went up the Kern Canyon-- which is incredibly beautiful-- and did some hiking and took in the beauty of creation. :) I just adore the wild and how diverse the world is! The canyon has the beautiful Kern River carving it and beautiful mountains in view. LOVE IT!

Coming up this Friday Matt will have Dizmas in the studio live. It's 3 p.m. pacific time, if you would like to give a listen. They may be doing a live acoustic song or two-- which would be sweet. kaxl.com If you haven't heard Matt live, you may be surprised radio could be so fun. Give it a try.

KAXL has given Matt the OK to do a weekly rock show. Matt is thrilled to be working with some rock labels and to produce his own rock show. It will be an hour-long fully produced rockshow with some of the best rock and hip hop music that points to God. I get to help & we're both looking forward to the interviews, music and where God will take us from there. :)

For a week in July, Matt is going to Brazil with Compassion Intl (a great organization that gets children from developing countries fed, clothed & educated). It will be a great opp. for him not only to travel but also to spread the word about a great organization through radio. I'm doing some traveling this summer too! Where you wonder? I can't tell you. That's a secret. Thems are the making for some memories! Hopefully we'll do some camping & some more seeting Californian. Hard to believe in a few months we will have been here a year!

Though the book "Do Hard Things" was intended for teenagers, we both read it after Matt interviewed the authors on the radio. We thought it was a great book & now are leading a book study with our teens this summer!

I am taking a few scrapbooking classes this summer- which I am TOTALLY thrilled about. I've been wanting to take a class for a real long time just to learn some basics and to get around some people that also enjoy this craft. I'm also going to be part of women's group every Friday with church.

Last Friday, I wrapped up a contract job at the Bakersfield, Californian, the local newspaper. I basically updated and prepared the majority of the information for Kern Life magazine, an annual resource guide featuring everything from post offices to hiking spots to the history of Kern County. It was really a great opportunity: working and learning! I got connected with a ton of people through the newspaper and look forward to what will come of it in the future.

I am considering an offer from my church to be the director of creativity, community & communication. With this job, I'm most excited about not having to fit into a certain job description, the job pretty much is getting to use who I am & what I'm good at. The other great thing is that I can fit the hours into my life- that includes being Zoe's mom. This is huge!! We still have to work out some details and we'll see how it plays out.

A quick update on my health-- since we've been in Bakersfield, all of my symptoms have been virtually non-existent. I hope that's a permanent thing! No joke- I think the California sun & attitude helps!!

Zoe is doing great. She has made some friends here and really had a blast at her sports class (REALLY didn't want it to be over). She is a vessel for fun and joy in our lives. :) She has a lot of great ideas all the time-- she is constantly surprising us with what she comes up with. She does test her limits every day and we can't wait until the terrifying 3's are over. :)

that's all for now!! Much love.