Lea said Yes!

December and Christmas pictures

2009-01-01T16:16:00.002-07:00

Well, December was a whirlwind of finals for James, and work for Lea, but we were able to squeeze in time to wear some ugly sweaters, celebrate James' birthday, and jet off to Nebraska for Christmas. And because you - the reader - probably weren't around to do all this stuff with us...we took pictures :-).

Here they are...

December various

Christmas in Nebraska

Pictures from the last couple months!

2008-12-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

A ton of pictures from the last month or so!

Kristy and Jenny's visit

Our 2 year anniversary

October and November various pics

Lea's trip home

My wifey

2008-12-07T08:47:00.002-07:00

I woke up this morning to my darling wife singing happy birthday to me, giving me a hug and telling me how much she loved me. Then when I got up, there were all these notes taped around the house, wishing me happy birthday, and telling me how she loves me... she got up REALLY early to do all this cause she had to go to work today at the break of dawn!

I get to go have lunch with her today and see her floor...I'm really excited.

On Friday, she made me an early birthday dinner - chicken fajitas, which were REALLY good. And she made me an Arnold Palmer (ice tea - lemonade mix) cause she knows I really like those, and she made me this Reese's Peanut Butter Cup pie - oh my gosh it was good (I love peanut butter).

Anyway, just wanted to take a sec to brag about how lucky I am. :-)

Thank you Lea, I love you!

Anniversary book

2008-11-08T13:10:00.002-07:00

Here is an online version of the book I made for Lea, that she mentioned in her post: http://preview.picaboo.com/Webview/CoverPage.aspx?album=000000000002C19A1B&user=0000000000007F1F69

The awesome book she made for me was made with love by hand, so if you want to see that one...come visit! :-)

Fall colors

2008-11-07T17:06:00.002-07:00

Lea took the camera on a walk at the beginning of this week and took some beautiful pictures of the fall colors - I just had to show them off. Great job babe!

Fall Colors - November 2008

Also

2008-11-05T10:13:00.002-07:00

I just remembered a couple other things...

She listens to me all the time with my stories and thoughts about everything... and believe me, that's a lot of listening!! She really shows an interest in what I am learning in school and wants to know what I think about things which makes me feel respected!

AND, she is working so hard at her job and supporting us in that way too, which is no small task and yet she has shown her love for me in that way - which is such a blessing. Thank you sweetie!

Also, I think I've mentioned this before, but that girl can cook!! ;-)

I love my wife

2008-11-05T10:07:00.002-07:00

What an amazingly encouraging and uplifting post from my darling.

She made me a wonderful picture and caption scrapbook of this past year we have spent together - I loved it and can't wait to get home from class so I can look at it again!

Lea is such a wonderful wife and I know that God gave her so many gifts that are such a blessing - especially to me since I get to live with her! Her encouragement lifts me up in amazing ways and really makes me believe I can do it - whatever "it" happens to be. That has particularly meant a lot in this law school endeavor...as I tell her, I end up feeling stupid a lot during classes and while doing homework, so it really means a lot to hear her encouraging words.

Her hugs an touch give me a joy and an energy that really brightens my day if I'm feeling down and fills me with energy if I'm feeling worn out.

When we pray together, her love for our Savior and her desire to see Him glorified and magnified in us is a great reminder and encouragement of what really matters.

I love you Lea.

Happy Anniversary James!

2008-11-04T16:19:00.003-07:00

Today is our two year anniversary (three years since it all began)!! James and I are going out to dinner to celebrate tonight. I am not sure where...that is a surprise! Before we go, I just wanted to share a few things about James that I absolutely love and admire.

I love that he is always there for me. He listens to me intently and patiently, and trys to understand all the crazy things I share with him. He makes it clear that he loves talking with me about anything and everything.

James is hard working. As you know, he is in law school. Though he hasn't complained once, it is probably one of the most challenging and busiest times of his life. Even with all that is going on with school, he stops studying the minute I get home from work to say hello, and to talk with me over dinner. And often times, he will hang out with me for an hour (or several) before he starts studying/reading again. Then he will proceed to stay up until the early hours of the morning getting things done! He makes me feel valued. Even though I tell him that I support him in studying and that he doesn't have to drop everything for me...he still does.

Even though our lives are busy, I cherish every minute with him. He is also a very giving person. There is literally not a time that I can remember where he has refused my request for a back or foot massage after a long day at work.

James gave me the most beautiful picture book for our anniversary, which chronicled our second year of marriage. I know he spent a lot of time on it, and it is just one more example of the amazing man and husband that he is.

Here is to many more with you babe (576 +). You are my beloved, and you are my friend (Song of Solomon 5:16)

Lea

Happy Birthday Lea!

2008-10-06T05:46:00.003-07:00

It is my beautiful wife's birthday today! Everyone be sure to email or call this wonderful woman and tell her Happy Birthday!

Also, feel free to add comments to the blog about special memories or birthday stories! :-)

Lea, you are a gift to me every day and I hope that today is a wonderful start to a fantastic year. I love you.

Country song

2008-10-05T15:49:00.005-07:00

Those that know me know that country is NOT my favorite music, by any stretch. So this should be funny to you. I was joking with Lea about how I could write a country song in 20 minutes...it just had to include alcohol, a dog, and someone leaving someone. She thought it would be fun to hear me try...so, here is my silly country song (written in UNDER 20 minutes).

Those that also know my "fondness" for Blackberry Brandy will especially enjoy one of the lines in there. The lyrics are below and the song is here: http://www.jamesgottry.com/assets/songs/country.mp3

It's cold outside, but it's freezin in my heart
since you've gone, yeah since we've been apart
i haven't felt nothing, nothing but the lonely
and every drink that i take doesn't even break the pain that's in me

Please please I can't take it come back, please please i need you by me
please please i can't take it come back, i can't take it even with blackberry brandy

I keep drinking down my sorrows hoping that tomorrow
you'll come back, and i'll see you walking up the drive with our yellow lab Stew

quiz

2008-08-24T08:25:00.002-07:00

I posted a fun little quiz for you to take - check it out here: http://jamesgottry.blogspot.com/2008/08/quiz.html

Tennessee Update

2008-08-18T09:10:00.002-07:00

Hello family and friends -

I hope this letter finds you all doing well and ready to start the
week!

I write this to you with crumpled kleenex in one hand and a bottle
of ibuprofen close by! I think after settling in after our moving
and unpacking, it has all finally caught up with me and I am
sick...but mostly I think I have worse allergies here with all of
the flowering plants and trees (I LOVE the green by the way!).

Anyways...some of you were asking for an update so I wanted to
send one out today since I am at home and missing James. Today is
his first day of orientation! I did get a picture of him with his
backpack (: He was a bit nervous, but positive as he usually is
(this amazes me!).

These last few weeks have been incredible. There are a lot of
things I could tell you about, but mostly I want to highlight how
God has been faithful to us throughout this life changing process.
First of all, He blessed us with the opportunity to move to
Tennessee and to financially make it work for James to attend
school while I work making considerably less than I was in
Phoenix. God provides for His children, always!!! He has also
provided the means for us to do several significant unexpected
home improvements/repairs to our new home, without us going into
debt. Thank you God!

James and I have noticed that we have become more patient and
gracious with each other since the move. I had friends that
always said this move would bring us closer together, but I am
already seeing this. Praise God that we can lean on Him so that we
might be able to be an encouragement to one another.

I was on a walk the other day at Centennial Park (which is a big
beautiful park near Vanderbilt campus and about a mile away from
out house where I will probably make my official "walking spot"),
and I was reflecting on how I feel completely inadequate,
vulnerable, and desperate for GOD. I was reminded of my
inadequacies and of His incredible strength. "My heart may fail,
and my spirit may grow weak,but God remains the strength of my
heart; he is mine forever. Psalm 73:26

Instead of letting these feelings culminate in fear or worry, I
know He wants me to be completely dependent on Him and to see that
all I really have, and ever had, is Him. "Everything, absolutely
everything...got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him." Col
1:16 Thank you God for reminding me of these truths!

So those are just a few things that come to mind as I send out
this update.

So how are all of you doing? James and I miss you very much and
would love to hear about what is happening in your lives. Thank
you for your calls, prayers, notes, text messages, and love!

Love,
Lea and James

We visited a small church yesterday called Calvary, and they
played this song. We both really liked it!! Hopefully it is an
encouragement to you too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OredXBZzMVY&feature=related

A plethora of pics

2008-08-16T15:47:00.003-07:00

Ok, here are a bunch of pics from our move, of our house, with family, and some down at the park.

Enjoy!

Our home

August - Various pics

Family visiting TN

Moving to Tennessee

Mrs. White's

2008-07-30T10:22:00.003-07:00

Our small group from church (minus Aaron and Jodi) went to Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe for dinner last night.

This is just about my favorite place in the world to eat - it's soul food and it is good! The place is just a little hole in the wall in downtown Phoenix, cash only, etc, but it's so awesome!

Sooo, here's a couple pics from the evening. (Larry pretty much runs the place now I think, he's the man, so I had to get my picture with him. ) He gave Lea and I our meals for free as a going away present (I've been there alot in case you were wondering!).

golfing

2008-07-24T16:30:00.002-07:00

Lea and I were golfing last night...well, on xBox.

I bought my friend Kao's xBox when we were buying his car (another story), and my friend PJ gave me his old Tiger Woods game cause he has a newer one.

What I love about the game is you can make a golfer that looks like you. Soooo, thought you might enjoy seeing Lea and my golfers.

Tiger Woods Golf

Legally Bald

2008-07-14T19:15:00.003-07:00

So... the ADF C&D team had a little get together this weekend, kind of a going away party for Lea and I. It was really fun, and I am so grateful for the amazing people I have been blessed to work with the last few years.

However... they gave me a gift that I'm pretty speechless about. (First of all, I should say they also gave Lea and I a beautiful platter with John 15:5 inscribed on it, and Anita gave me a really special book... BUT!) Well, I'll just let you see the other gift.

"What's that noise?"

2008-07-12T12:11:00.004-07:00

My husband absolutely cracks me up!

Early this morning, at about 2am, I hear this noise. It was loud, and it sounded like whistling or the sound of tupperware opening and closing, or...just a very loud clicking sound! At first I was kind of nervous because I was thinking, "Okay, what did charlie get into..." Then I turn to James and realize it was him!! So I shook him a little and said, "Hon, what are you doing?" He woke up right away and said, "Oh....I was having a dream that I was making loud noises...was I actually doing that?" I just started laughing to myself, and said, "Yes! You were actually doing that!" He said, "Oh...sorry...I'm thirsty."

Funny guy huh!?

I love you too!

2008-06-28T17:23:00.002-07:00

So Sweet, and creative! James emailed this to me while I was at work several days ago...

Picture time!

2008-06-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

A bunch of pics from the month of June for your enjoyment :-)

congrats to Lea

2008-06-20T12:43:00.002-07:00

Most of you know we are moving to Nashville.

Some of you know we were there this week - we went out on Monday & Tuesday for a house inspection on the home we are buying, and for Lea to go to some meetings/interviews at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Well, the inspection went well, but that's not what this blog is about, so moving on... Lea's meetings went great - ALL THREE of them offered her a job, and I think a couple of them were trying to get her to sign on the dotted line right then. Obviously they could all tell what a huge boost it would be to have her on the floor!

She officially accepted one today - it's an OB/GYN position, working with post-partum and ante-partum (did I spell those right babe?). Basically she gets to work with moms and babies, which is what she has wanted to do for a long time. (Sidenote - she worked some in the nursery at our old church and is so good with babies, so this will be a great job for her!)

Anyway, I'm so proud of you Lea - but not surprised! Vanderbilt Nursing is lucky to have you!!

J is so funny!

2008-06-20T08:55:00.008-07:00

My husband is the best! He cracks me up...he is always telling jokes, and when he starts cracking jokes, I just cannot stop laughing!

For example, James and I went to Tennessee this week to be there for our house inspection and for me to go to some interviews at Vanderbilt Medical Center. We were staying with some family friends in Franklin on Monday night. They were so kind to take us out to dinner at Bucca di Beppo!!

After the waitress brought us our waters with lemons in them, Pam (the mom) started telling us about how she saw this special on Dateline or something like that, of how lemon rines have lots of bacteria and "you never know what they do with the lemons before they put them in your water..." And of course, me being a nurse, I was very intrigued. I was actually debating whether or not to say adios to my lemon water days.

So while we were discussing the lemon theory, Kelsey (the daughter) said, "I just like to be blissfully naive," and started chewing on her lemon. Her boyfriend, Bradley, said, "But we are no longer naive!" And under his breath, James said, "...and no longer blissful." We just started cracking up! Especially Kelsey, who I think thought James was pretty funny!!

It might be one of those, "you just had to be there.." but it was quite hilarious!!

Reba and Justin Duet

2008-06-04T16:01:00.002-07:00

WOW, okay I just saw this on Oprah today.

I love this song, it is beautiful. With the sad court decision in California today re: marriage, and a discouraging article I saw today in Christianity Today, I became somewhat disheartened with some of the worldly things I am surrounded with. It saddens me to think about those people that don't know God, and who are searching.

This song reminded me of God's love for His children...His love remains!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0XH-iDpgAk

I think lots of my family members will like this song....go Reba right!??

Love you all,
Lea

Pastor Paul

2008-06-04T15:03:00.003-07:00

One of the most truth-telling Christian leaders/pastors I know is Pastor Paul Brushaber. My roomates and I attended his church when we were studying nursing at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. If you are looking for some challenging scripture-based sermons, you should check out his church website. There are podcasts and sermons you can download.

http://www.cccrochester.org/sermons/index.html

Bye y'all!

Lea

I love walking

2008-06-04T13:44:00.002-07:00

If you know me very well, you know that I LOVE TO GO WALKING!! Whether it is alone or with a friend, whether it is in the morning, afternoon, or at night....I LOVE TO WALK! It is very refreshing and rejuvenating for me to walk. On my walks I enjoy listening to sermons or music on my ipod, praying and talking to God, or just processing my thoughts.

I found this cool article about walking today...check it out if you get a chance, it's cute:

http://blog.todayschristianwoman.com/editors/2008/06/words_on_walking.html

By the way, happy anniversary James! I love you sweetie, and I look forward to many more days, weeks, and years with you by my side!

Lea

happy day!

2008-06-04T10:08:00.004-07:00

As of today at around 3pm, Lea and I will have been married for 19 months. For those of you scoring at home, that works out to 578 days that I have been the luckiest guy!

Lea made the most amazing dinner last night - within one bite I knew it was one of my favorites - and that is saying a lot cause I like everything she cooks. I was sitting in a meeting yesterday afternoon and I was thinking about dinner, cause I knew it was going to be really good.

I brought leftovers for work today - and right on cue, my stomach just growled. :-)

Happy anni sweetie pie.

Police "Situation"

2008-05-28T17:27:00.001-07:00

Lea called me around 3:45 p.m. this afternoon. A police officer had come to our door and told Lea to stay inside with the doors locked...he said there was a "situation" a couple buildings south in our complex.

Like us, when a police officer tells you there is a "situation," you probably do not assume someone spilled some milk and the officers are on scene to make sure the cleanup goes efficiently.

I called the police to try and find out what was happening and if I could go get my wife. They wouldn't tell me but did say that the police were likely going to be evacuating the apartments. So I put on my camo and went in. Which is to say I walked over to the apartment and got Lea. I saw some cop cars but nothing right by our apartment. Anyway, we came back to my office and hung out for a while. We just called the police again (it's 5:30 p.m.) and they said the situation has been resolved. They still provided no details but we found this article online. Good times.

Police Evacuate Apartments In Barricade Situation - Local News Story - KPHO Phoenix

So everyone be safe, lock your doors, and for pete's sake - don't spill any milk!

Morgan's grad and Braski!

2008-05-15T15:53:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics for ya!

Morgan's Graduation

National Nurses Day

2008-05-06T18:25:00.003-07:00

Here's a little info on National Nurses Week, from Nursing World.

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
The theme for 2008 National Nurses Week is Nurses: Making a Difference Every Day.

I'd like to expound on this theme and tell you just a few of the MANY ways Lea makes a difference in MY life every day.

She makes me laugh and is fun to be around
She encourages me to dream, and to believe!
Her heart for God encourages me to try and grow in my relationship with Christ
She is the world's best cook, and she makes yummy things for me to eat :-)
She writes really sweet notes that make me feel so loved
She is my best friend

If you want to know more about nurses and how important they are, see last year's blog.

(Interesting trivia: I quoted something from Vanderbilt Medical Center last year - which is where we are going for law school! :-) )

Sea World

2008-04-22T16:39:00.001-07:00

Here are pictures from our trip to Sea World last week!

Our trip to Sea World / San Diego

Yeah for James...

2008-04-16T20:34:00.003-07:00

My husband was accepted into the inaugural 2008 class of the Marketplace One Leadership Institute!! This is such an honor. He was nominated by someone that he works with at ADF, and so he applied recently. We found out today that he was accepted!!

The Marketplace One Leadership Institute is for those passionate about leadership excellence. The info packet gives a good synopsis: "Quality leadership is an integral pary of every successful business...the mission of the institute is the intentional and strategic development of values-based leaders. Our leadership goal is to successfully integrate Biblical truth with Marketplace best practices, using these principles to equip leaders for effective service to this and future generations."

This is a week long event held in June at the Hyatt in Phoenix. There will be instructional forums, labs, assignments, daily worship and devotions. They will also have meals and social activities. James will be reading seven books for this event! He will also participate in a conference call in September, as part of this opportunity.

I am so proud of you James!!

a whole lot of pictures!

2008-04-14T21:11:00.004-07:00

Here are a bunch of pics from all of our recent law school trips, including the one to VANDERBILT where we are going! And pictures from when we moved out of our house and to the apartment.

Vanderbilt in Nashville!

Visit to Northwestern in Chicago

Moving!

Visit to UVa Law School

Beautiful Day!

2008-04-12T08:10:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone! As some of you know, we have chosen to live in Nashville for at least the next three years! James will be attending Vanderbilt Law, and will join the class of 2011! He will do great, and we both really feel that this area is a perfect fit for us. God has revealed His plans at the perfect time, and this was not a difficult decision for either of us!

While James slept in this morning (poor guy, he has been sick lately) I went on a walk around the area. It is just beautiful here! And everyone is so friendly, I love it! While I was walking, I stopped at this cute little bookstore near the campus. Along with about 15 other people, I rummaged through the sale books stacked on tables outside of the store. It was so nice because I just feel so at peace after making our decision. I was telling James that I am so looking forward to moving here!

Just wanted to share the news and thank you all for your prayers and support during this time! Also, we want to give a shout out to Ryan W for being so supportive of our decision...and for recommending great restaurants to eat at!

Love
James and Lea

I am truly blessed

2008-04-08T09:03:00.002-07:00

My lovely and wonderful wife is so sweet.

I told her yesterday that it is a good thing the day was about over at work when I saw her blog cause it was so sweet I was tearing up at my desk so I just left to go home!

Lea has been the most amazing wife, friend, encourager, confidant, and support during this busy time in our lives. Obviously, this is a journey that would not be possible with God...but I truly believe it would also not be possible without the wonderful gift of my wife. She deserves a medal!

I love you Lea - you are the most incredible blessing...simply because of who God has made you.

All the little things...

2008-04-07T15:43:00.004-07:00

As you probably know...our life has been fairly crazy lately. We moved from our first home in Chandler to our new apartment in Scottsdale just over a week ago (only two weeks after selling our house)! THEN, we went to Chicago last weekend, and will be going to Nashville this coming weekend. We have been job searching for me, school searching for James, and house searching for us!

Even though this has been stressful and definitely a test God has brought into our marriage, God has provided in so many ways. One way that He has provided is through my husband and his thoughtfulness. James has done so many wonderful little things that have made this time so much less scary. These are some, just to name a few:

1. James included me during NU Law Admission days. He let me sit in on a few informational sessions and mock law classes with him (which, I LOVED!!). James knows that if I wasn't a nurse, I would of chosen to go to law school!! I also was able to attend "Co-council," which was a special class for spouses of future law students. I guess you could say it was sort of like a support group. That was very fun.

---Side note: While we were in civil procedure class, James was chosen to be some one's defendant. The professor asked him all sorts of questions related to the case discussed. James did great, and after class the professor and another admitted student congratulated him on how he did. Go James!

2. He included me in house hunting. We have this system where we rate properties and places from 0-10. While we were looking at places in Chicago, James kept asking me my "rating" for each place. He also emails me things his realtor(s) send him.

3. He gave me a sweet card yesterday, reminding me that he will always love me.

4. He was so encouraging when I received a call from a nurse recruiter at a local hospital in Chicago. Granted, he is bias, but he tells me that I am "the best nurse." How blessed I am to have such a supportive husband!

James, I love you and I am blessed to be on this journey with you. I am excited about our adventure together!

Minnesota pics

2008-04-02T22:57:00.001-07:00

Better late than never! Here are some pics from Lea's trip to Minnesota a couple weeks ago.

Lea's Minnesota Trip

Lunchtime rocks!

2008-03-19T13:28:00.002-07:00

So it's been busy and stressful lately, with house-selling, apartment finding, school visit (and more coming), job hunting for Lea, etc, etc. We've both been really busy.

But today, I was able to just take a deep breath and relax during lunch. "Why?," you ask. Well, I'll tell you...leftovers!

Lea is a really really good cook and she made this crockpot beef and potatoes and vegetables thing right before she went out of town last week and I had it for dinner Tuesday, lunch Wednesday, and dinner Wednesday - it was so good! And then I went out of town, but today I brought some more of it for lunch.

YUMMY!!

Love you my gourmet cook wonderful wife!

Yea for Barney!

2008-03-15T09:51:00.004-07:00

I'm in Virginia visiting UVa this weekend, but Vanderbilt still made its presence felt.

Friday afternoon, right before a cocktail reception with Virginia Alumnai who have clerked for the Supreme Court, I got a call from Vandy saying they had increased my scholarship offer to full tuition for all three years (the Barney Byrd scholarship)!!

What an amazing praise - God is so good!

It has been really fun visiting UVa too. Got to meet some faculty and a couple of them have said very complimentary things and indicated that they plan to talk to administration about my scholarship offer here. What can we say, this is ONLY because of God.

Praise God!! HOUSE SELLING

2008-03-12T11:41:00.003-07:00

Well, what can we say - God is good!

One big prayer request during this law school stuff is that He would find a buyer for our house. As you know the market isn't the best right now. :-)

Well, we listed it about 12 days ago, and last night we got an offer. We counter-offered and found out this morning they were accepting!! We got the signed papers this afternoon. There are of course some details that still need to happen...the home inspection, financing and documentation all needs to go through, but it is looking good.

This is an amazing blessing and just demonstrates once again that God is bigger than any circumstances.

Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Duke...and half a million

2008-03-05T14:38:00.002-07:00

Ok, Duke didn't give me a half a million, sorry if the title confused you!

But they offered $20k/year, which is pretty good for Duke (unfortunately!), which brings our total scholarship offers to $540,000.

Duke University $60,000
Northwestern University $120,000
Cornell University $105,000
Vanderbilt University $105,000
University of Notre Dame $60,000
Baylor University $90,000

Praise God! We are still waiting on a few schools so we'll see how it all shakes out, but we have some great options and we are thankful God is going to make the path clear!

thanks Vandy

2008-03-05T10:56:00.002-07:00

Well, Vanderbilt offered us the Chancellor's Scholarship yesterday: $35k/year for three years.

Praise God for all the options He is providing, and thank God for my wonderful wife who has put up with all my processing regarding schools, as we work to determine where we should spend the next three years!

mouth watering

2008-02-29T15:46:00.002-07:00

Lea is a wonderful cook - the best, in fact!

She made chicken and rice & broccoli on Wednesday for dinner and I brought leftovers for lunch on Thursday, forgetting that we had a team lunch for someone's birthday. She was laughing because I was telling her how I was disappointed that I had to go out to eat cause I would have rather had her leftovers cause she makes such great food!

Anyway, just wanted to share...if you ever get invited for dinner and Lea is cooking, clear your schedule so you can come! :-)

My guy

2008-02-28T10:11:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to share just how much I love James!! He is such an amazing, incredible man of God. He works so hard to keep our marriage and our lives centered around Christ. We both agreed when we married that we wanted our home to be Christ-centered. And I know that is a big reason we have such a wonderful and fulfilling marriage. James models Christ's character to me everyday by the way he cares for and spends time with me, works to support our family, and by affirming God's truth in our lives. I tend to get emotional at times (surprise surprise right!?), and James is so calm and steady. He loves God and wants to honor Him with his life. James thinks I am silly when I say this, but I really look up to him. I am so glad he is my guy!!

The Blazing Furnace

2008-02-28T09:09:00.003-07:00

I must be in a blogging mood or something...

Last night in BS (that's bible study) we talked about our study in Daniel. We discussed how even though it is a very deep and sometimes confusing book, we each learned something that we hadn't known or realized before. There are some cool stories in Daniel; clear testimonies to God's power and mercy. James and I were also very impressed by Daniel's humility, integrity, and conviction. And the Bible says that because of Daniel's character, God gave him knowledge and understanding.

There was one story that I had heard many times before, but I gained a new perspective on it this time. It is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The Kind Nebuchadnezzar was enraged when these three would not worship the image of gold that he set up. He threatened to throw them all into the fiery furnace if they did not bow down to him. This is what happened...

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18

Like Daniel, these three men believed that God was able to deliver them, but that His power and ability to do so was not limited by His choice. They trusted that God was unchanging (all-powerful, all-knowing, all-merciful, and GOOD), no matter what circumstances they found themselves in. They feared God above their circumstances, and their loyalty to Him was unwavering. They were willing to give up their lives rather than serve any god except their God (the true God)!!

So God sent an angel to deliver them from the furnace, unharmed (Dan 3:27). Furthermore, this caused Neb to praise God saying, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants!" Dan 3:28

This story makes me think about how I can trust God more with the circumstances in my life. Am I really trusting Him with the present, and the future?? My prayer is that I will have less interest in being comfortable and happy, but more interest in following God and trusting Him with my dreams and my life. I want to dwell on His promises no matter the situations I find myself in.

I recommend listening to "Burn us up," by Shane & Shane. It is on U-Tube.

Cornell shows us the money

2008-02-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

Praise God - we received the Cornell Law "Dean's Scholarship" yesterday. The scholarship is for $35k/year and I feel honored to be offered a scholarship from such a great school.

This is only possible because of God - He deserves all the praise!

The Treasure Principle

2008-02-25T15:55:00.001-07:00

I am reading this book by Randy Alcorn titled, ‘The Treasure Principle’. Our pastor Linn strongly encouraged us to read this book because we are going through a sermon series called Pirates. We are discussing the pirates in our lives that try and steal our treasure. Anyways, God is teaching me a lot through this book. The book is primarily centered around Matthew 6:19-21…

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Basically, the author discusses how much joy and freedom he has found in giving. He shares the power of learning and believing that God is the owner of all we have, and its importance in our daily Christian walk. With biblical references, he talks about how we are meant to be the “managers” of what God has given to us. And along with our pastor, he urged us to ask ourselves the question, “What would the owner (God) want me to do with my money…my things…my time, etc?” Although challenging, this question encourages me to really evaluate where I spend my money and my time. Do I freely give what God asks of me? More importantly I think, do I give more than what is asked of me?

I love God, and I want to make a difference for Him and for eternity. I know that the only way that I can do that is by understanding and believing that I am the manager of God’s “stuff.” All of it was given to me FOR A PURPOSE, and what I do with it ultimately reflects where my heart is.

Praise God for His patience and grace toward me as I learn this incredible truth!!!

Pics...and more...and more!

2008-02-25T12:54:00.002-07:00

We have a lot of new pictures! And you will notice that our blog page, our "Lea and James" page and our "Pictures" page all have new header pics! :-)

Hope you enjoy!

Fun with Emily and Caleb

Valentine's Day

New Orleans (Lea's trip for work)

Phoenix Zoo

Caleb's 4th Birthday

amendment...

2008-02-15T18:53:00.002-07:00

I just gathered all the cards Lea wrote me for Valentine's Day - there were EIGHT of them! For those of you math fans...that's one for every three hours of the day! :-)

Love you sweetie!

My lovely Valentine!

2008-02-15T18:23:00.002-07:00

Hi all!

Well, my sweetie wrote me about half a dozen cards for Valentine's Day - they were all over the place. I love getting notes from her, so it was awesome. And she got me personalized M&Ms - I didn't even know you could get those, it was so cool! And two very snazzy shirts, one of which I wore today and got a couple compliments on. Gee - it's like it was Christmas or something!

Anyway, we went to dinner at Sam's Cafe - this nice little restaurant downtown and then went to a movie. Wonderful night with my wonderful bride! Some more pictures from V-day and the last couple weeks are at the link below.

Some pictures from January and February!

YALE!...said no :-)

2008-02-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

I got a special letter from Yale today. Unfortunately, it did not have a special message.

Instead, it said, "We regreat that we are unable to offer you admission..."

It was mildly disappointing to get my first law school rejections. However, the fact is, Yale is the #1 school in the country...they reject a lot of people. I have joined a very prestigious group!

I have a feeling my Yale essay didn't help much. It was a bit um...controversial!

Anyway, tell you what, it was a lot easier to stomach the rejection two days after Northwestern awarded us the Wigmore scholarship! Thanks NU!

Northwestern - Praise God!

2008-02-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

So I got an email today from Northwestern and they have awarded us the John Henry Wigmore Scholarship! This is for $120k over three years!!

Northwestern is 42k per year so it is basically a full-tuition scholarship. Northwestern is ranked 12th in the country and by all accounts, is an incredible school!

Praise God for this amazing blessing!

how do ya do, said Michigan

2008-02-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

That's right - we got our acceptance from Michigan in the mail today!

The dean wrote a little note that said, "We'd love to have you here!" - I'm sure that she only wrote that on my acceptance letter, and no one else's. Ok, maybe not. Although my sweet wife responded with, "they'd be lucky to have you there." And she is NOT biased, that was totally objective! :-) Ok, again maybe not. But it was still really sweet and I liked it!

15 months

2008-02-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Happy 15-month anniversary to my love.

Lea has officially made me the luckiest man in the world for 456 days - unofficially, it's been longer than that, since she has loved me for longer, but it has been 456 days since our wedding. Anyway, that was a long explanation!

I just wanted to tell everyone that I love Lea!! Lea, sweetie, I love you and hope that you know how special you are!

my Super cool wife

2008-02-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I hear some people have been dying to see pics of Lea's super-cute new "do." Well, here they are, as well as a few other pics from the last couple weeks.

Lea and I went to a Superbowl party yesterday. Until the 4th quarter, most of the girls were downstairs and the guys were upstairs watching it on the huge screen. But Lea came up and watched a lot of it with us upstairs - it was awesome. My wife is so cool. (We'll probably add a few Superbowl picks to this link soon.)

Some pictures from January and February!

Northwestern!

2008-01-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

We're in! Got the email today...that makes 10!

trip pictures

2008-01-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

We told you they were coming...and here they are!

Fun pictures from the O'Dell's trip to Arizona :-) Enjoy!

The O'Dells come to town!

Time with God

2008-01-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

I was chatting with my friend Ruth today online, and we both were talking about how we want to be more committed to reading scripture and praying on a daily basis. Ruth mentioned that struggling to do this is evidence of spiritual warfare, and it is real! I have to agree..I have been convicted lately that I am not as diligent about this as I would hope, and that I often fail in making time for my God. In thinking about what Ruth said, I realized that I can easily become frustrated with myself because I am not spending enough quality time with God. But I know that God does not want me to feel ashamed or condemned. Instead, He wants me to spend some time with Him because He loves me! And I also know that He wants me to find my JOY in Him alone!!!

Right after our conversation, I came across this prayer in a book that I am reading:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me...
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51: 10,12

God, I love you and YOU are my joy!! Thank you for my amazing husband too!

another one!

2008-01-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Praise God - we are 9 for 9 on law schools so far - University of Pennsylvania called to congratulate me on being accepted there today!

By the way - did you know Lea is sooooooo awesome? She talks with me about law school all the time, and is so encouraging and wonderful. I really could not do any of this without her - I love you sweetie!

updates!

2008-01-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

My beautiful wife got a haircut yesterday - it's called a "bob" - right babe?

Well, whatever it's called, it looks REALLY CUTE! I told her she is gonna get a ton of compliments about it at work today.

Lea made spaghetti on Wednesday, oh my gosh the sauce was so good, let me tell you. YUMMY!

Let's see, what's new. Lea's mom and sisters came out last week, it was really fun! We played games, mini golf, go carts, went to Organ Stop Pizza :-), remembered 24 cards from the storybook game (although I don't know why the tiger was wearing socks), went to the park, played Wii, and just had a darn good time. I'm sure we'll be posting pics before too long - we got some good ones!

In law school news, here's the latest.

cat burglar tale

2007-12-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a bit of a thrill at 4 in the morning. Rather than just tell the story, I have composed a narrative! :-) Hope you enjoy...

The Cat Burglar
In the dead of the night, when everyone's sleeping,
and no noise is heard, not even a peeping...

A small house in Chandler was quiet and peaceful,
until through the night, sound broke - quite an earful!

I sat up in bed, my heart began racing,
at thoughts of a burglar, I soon might be chasing.

I slipped to the floor, grabbed a bat, said a whispered
"stay there" to my wife - no time even to kiss her.

I crept down the hallway, ready to tangle
with whoever I found - I was ready to mangle!

The house I soon cleared, no sign of them now,
just our cat Charlie, who said hi with "meow."

So I went and turned on all the lights in each room,
looking for signs of what caused that "kaboom"

When at last - the study - I entered and saw it,
disaray on the floor, from an overturned bucket.

The cat had been playing and had made the big clatter
it turns out nothing was really the matter.

my Christmas present

2007-12-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

Lea was going to have to work on Christmas day - I don't know why the hospitals don't close :-), but then at about 5:20 a.m. she got a wonderful call - they cancelled her! That means I got to spend the day with my sweetie. As I'm sure you can imagine, that was the best Christmas gift! (Not to say Santa didn't bring some very nice things - it's just having Lea with me for Christmas is better than anything under the tree could be.)

She even watched the Laker/Suns game with me! Lakers won. It's fun, she totally gets into with me and knows the players and everything... VERY VERY COOL!

Here are a bunch of Christmas pics from the last few weeks:

Christmas 2007

Oh, and last but not least - we got accepted to ASU Law today, so praise God - we are 7 for 7!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas!

James and I went to the Christmas service at our church today, and it was very encouraging!! Our pastor, Linn, was talking about how the meaning of Christmas if often "stolen" by commercialism, stress, family issues and worries, busyness, etc...and increasingly so with every year (and he compared this to the grinch, and how he "stole" christmas). He talked about how, amidst all of this craziness, we can become grinches ourselves and our attitudes reflect this. We become task/list focused, trying to get through the busy parking lots without losing our tempers, stressing out about christmas schedules...where to go and what to do, getting frustrated with fellow shoppers and store clerks...and then we often end up dissappointed when Christmas doesn't turn out "just perfect," or the way we expected it to.

Linn talked about how we need to steal Christmas back!! We need to focus on not only the true meaning of Christmas, but the "reason for the season." Christmastime is not about the best toy, the most perfect party, or a vacation from work. Referring to Matthew 1, Linn pointed out the very first Christmas...as quiet, as lonely and as humble as it was...it was truly BEAUTIFUL. Our savior was born on that day, in a stable! He was born to SAVE US from our sins, for WE NEEDED A SAVIOR! What a wonderful truth. We are the reason for this season! Christ came, lived, and died for us. If we can understand this truth, then nothing and nobody can steal Christmas from us!!

We really loved this message because it was a wonderful reminder of our inadequacies, and of God's humble and perfect strength...displayed by how he sent our Savior to us!!

We also sang "Wonderful Maker" at Church, which is one of my favorite!!

Here is the chorus...

What a wonderful maker

What a wonderful savior

How majestic your whispers

And how humble your love

With a strength like no other

And the heart of a father

How majestic your whispers

What a wonderful God

You made the world and saw that it was good

You sent your only son, for you are good

***I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him*** Ecclesiastes 3:14

couple updates

2007-12-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you keeping track, we have a couple recent law school additions: we've been accepted at Cornell and Vanderbilt! Yeehaw!

We had some family over last night for Christmas treats and a couple little games. Lea made AWESOME food - cookies, homemade peanut butter cups, popcorn balls... and she had coffee, hot chocolate, apple cider... sooooooo good! I love you honey - you're amazing.

Thank you God!!

2007-12-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

James and I are studying the book of Daniel in our home group now. Last night before study, we were just talking about how in Daniel 10, the vision of Christ caused Daniel to lose all of his strength. As Christ spoke to him, Daniel fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground. Daniel didn't jump up and down and start singing hymns right away. In fact, the other men with Daniel ran away from the vision to hide. I wondered why this kind of reaction...TO CHRIST!!??

I told James that I always pictured running to God when I see Him in Heaven, both in awe of His glory and yet overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratitude towards Him. But then we talked (well, James pointed out) that some people in the Bible fell to the ground in fear and trembling when they saw God...not because they were afraid of him...but because He was just so holy and amazing that His presence was almost too much to bear.

James and I were discussing how God is so much more holy than we can understand and even comprehend. James mentioned how silly it is when humans compare themselves with one another, according to their goodness and works....it's like having a goal of jumping to the moon and you say that you are so much better than this other guy because you can jump 2 ft and he can only jump 1.5ft. None of us will never jump high enough to touch the moon! It is so silly to compare ourselves, when we are SO FAR from God's holiness. In comparison to God, our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64)

WOW. I don't know about you, but this is just beyond me... that we have a God that is this powerful, perfect, and pure...and He chose to love us for who we are (filthy rags and all)!!

We love you God! THANK YOU!!

James' birthday

2007-12-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, here are some pictures from my birthday weekend! Oh, and we got a late birthday present - we got accepted to Vanderbilt Law School today!

James' Birthday

some recent pictures

2007-12-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there all! This is gonna be quick cause I'm about to go celebrate my birthday with my lovely wife, but we just wanted to post links to recent pictures. Soooooo, here they are:

ADF All Team Christmas Party

Women of Faith Conference

Happy Birthday James!

2007-12-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

Today is James' 31st birthday! Or, as he likes to describe it...it's the 3rd celebration of his 29th birthday.

James, I love you and I am so excited that I get to share this special day with you! I hope this day is full of wonderful reminders of God's love for you, and of how your life blesses so many others!

Love
Lea

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T20:35:00.000-07:00

We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for so many things on this Thanksgiving...we are thankful that Christ died on the cross for our sins, so that we could have a personal relationship with Him, and live with our God forever!! We are very thankful for each other, our family, and friends. We are also thankful for our cat Charlie!

Our Thanksgiving prayer:

God, thank you for being our Savior. Thank you for providing for us, for filling our deepest need, and for being our closest friend. We praise you for Your goodness. We pray that this whole world would see your greatness and praise Your name. We love you, James and Lea.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

Georgetown!

2007-11-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Got the letter today - we are accepted at Georgetown! More here.

Baylor, and Lea

2007-11-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

We got accepted to Baylor last night - more here.

But what I would like to talk about on this blog is less about Baylor, and more about how much I love my amazing wife! As you know, we had our anniversary trip to San Fran, and then she took a short trip to Nebraska. Well, she got back last Wednesday night but then was gone Friday night and Saturday day for a conference with my mom and grandma. I missed her so much.

Last night, I didn't open the Baylor letter til she got home cause I wanted her to do it, but the thing is, I was more excited about her being home and being able to hug her and be around her than I was about the letter from Baylor. Don't get me wrong, the Baylor thing was great news, and a blessing from God, and I'm really excited about it NOW, but last night all I wanted was to cuddle with my wonderful sweetie.

I'm a lucky guy! Love you hon.

Nebraska in November

2007-11-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Lea's trip to Nebraska!

Nebraska in November

In at Duke!

2007-11-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

We got our first acceptance yesterday (if you are wondering, Lea is not applying to law school, but I say "we" because it is most definitely a joint effort - she has been an amazing encouragement and help every step of the way). Anyway, we're in at Duke Law School. Now because admissions people could conceivably visit this website at some point, I will not be offering much in the way of personal opinions about any law schools, at least not for quite some time!

So I will simply say that Duke is an outstanding law school, tied for 10th in the country, and it is an honor and a blessing from God to get accepted.

If you would like to keep track of where we've applied and get accepted - you will notice a little section on the right of my blog that says "Law School." The schools are in order of their ranking according to U.S. News and World Report and do not indicate our personal preferences toward schools.

Gosh, all these disclaimers I'm sounding like a lawyer already.

1 year!

2007-11-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Our Anniversary and Trip to San Francisco

So November 4 was our one-year anniversary!

We celebrated with a 4-day trip to San Francisco, and had a fantastic time. Lea just left this morning to Nebraska for a few days - gonna have some fun girl time with her sisters and hang out with the family. Originally we thought this would give me some time to finish any law school apps I needed to send in, etc. But I finished them all so I'm getting lonely for my sweetie already! I know...I did say she just left this morning...but it was really early this morning so it's been almost a day already. Well, alright, maybe not quite a whole day yet, hehe. That's ok, she'll be home soon and maybe she'll bring back some more of her dad's famous salsa, right honey? :-)

Anywho - enjoy the pics!

pictures galore

2007-11-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone - we've got lots of new pictures! We went to the Bebo Norman and Shane & Shane concert, we went trick-or-treating with our niece and nephew, and we went on a diabetes walk...all in the last couple weeks. Hmmm, maybe that's why we have colds now! haha

So here are all the pics! Enjoy.

Bebo and Shane & Shane

Halloween 2007

JDRF - Diabetes Walk

David Crowder

2007-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

David Crowder Band Concert

Check out some fuzzy pictures from the David Crowder concert a couple weeks ago!

DC is rad - we danced to "Wonderful King" for our first dance at our wedding reception.

she's #1

2007-10-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Law School - test results!

My wife is so adorable.

She bought me a couple movies and a peanut butter cup and a card when I got my LSAT score back, and then she bought me a balloon that says "You're #1" - so I just wanted to let everyone know that actually SHE is #1.

Love you sweetie - thanks for being YOU!

the window

2007-10-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

We have a cat. His name is Charlie. He enjoys sleeping, resting, cuddling, laying on the couch, relaxing, lounging, not moving, and looking out windows. It's this last one I want to address.

Charlie can often be found sitting in front of the sliding glass door making little noises at any bugs or birds he sees (or thinks he sees).

Well, this morning Lea wakes me up and says, "there's a cat outside the sliding glass window and he and Charlie are meowing at each other." Sure enough...he's sitting right inside the glass door and this other cat is right outside. But they weren't meowing in a mean way...Charlie's about the nicest cat in the world - I think he is part Golden Retriever! Anyway, it was more like "hi" and "can I give you a cat hug" kind of meows.

The other cat eventually left...I think Charlie was bummed. So I got out a stuff cat, which Charlie actually seemed interested in for a few seconds but then he figured out this cat wasn't quite as animated as the one outside.

The End

Praise God!

2007-10-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

support a walker!

2007-10-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, November 3, Lea and I are participating in the annual JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes. We are participating in support of Grace's Gang for Grace Gurley who has Type I (Juvenile) Diabetes.

Grace is an incredible little girl ... a red headed wonder. She just celebrated her second birthday, has a wonderful, vibrant personality and ability to make you smile! Watching her play, if it weren't for her insulin pump strapped to her side, you would never know she was battling this disease.

In the past 17 months she has endured more than 3,000 pokes to check her blood sugar, 170 site changes (a very painful process of inserting a new needle and tube for her pump to deliver insulin) and physical and emotional challenges that come with fluctuating blood sugar levels. She also endured an emergency three night stay in the hospital while on vacation with her parents in Michigan. To say she's handled it well would be a huge understatement. Her parents call her their little human pincushion.

Because of this courageous little girl, we are participating in the walk, and we want to give you the opportunity to participate with us! First, if you are among our Phoenix friends, you could join us in the walk. To register, go to http://walk.jdrf.org/ and select your team (Grace's Gang) and your captain (Aaron Gurley). Then raise support and join us on Saturday, November 3 at 8:00 am at Tempe Town Lake. Last year Grace's Gang raised more than $12,000 ... a record breaking accomplishment for a first year team!

Or, if you are not in the area, or cannot participate in the walk, you can "Support a Walker" - us! We would love you to support one of us. Lea and I each hope to raise at least $100; the team's goal is to raise $15,000 this year and we are excited to be a part of reaching this goal!

Thanks again!

James and Lea

Follow these links to make a donation today:
James - http://walk.jdrf.org/support.cfm?id=86883589
Lea - http://walk.jdrf.org/support.cfm?id=86882836

more pictures!

2007-10-08T18:11:00.000-07:00

Pictures from Lea's birthday weekend!

Lea's Bday weekend!

Happy 24th!

2007-10-06T12:01:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to my sweetie!

Lea is 24 today! Make sure everyone sends her cards and calls and tells her what a wonderful, fantabulous wife, daughter, sister, friend, co-worker, person she is!

I love you Lea.

and now it is 11!

2007-10-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today Lea and I have been married for 11 months.

You know what that means...in another 31 days, we will start referring to the length of our marriage in years! Well..."year" anyway - it will be another 12 months before we can say "yearS" :-)

Lea and I went on a bike ride after Bible Study last night - it's finally getting nice outside, at least at night! Oh, and she made the best soup for dinner...or is it called stew...or...? It had potatoes and corn and bacon and it was in these bread bowls...YUM! I was going to bring leftovers for lunch and then realized this morning that I have a work lunch. Now normally, I'm excited when there's a work lunch cause it means I get to eat out for free :-). Today, I was actually disappointed because I am looking forward to leftovers. I bet you can all guess what I'm having for dinner!

Anyway, just wanted to give a shout out ;-) to my wife and best friend - I love you sweetie, happy 11-monthery.

Test Day!

2007-09-29T06:32:00.000-07:00

Please pray for James this morning, as he will be taking a big test. Please pray for God to give him the knowledge and understanding that he will need all throughout the test, in each area. While James has been so diligent in his preperation for this test, we know and believe that the outcome is in God's hands, and we also know that prayer is powerful. So please pray with us!

We should commit our work to Him, knowing that by His power, it will succeed. Pro 16:3

Pics from September

2007-09-26T16:33:00.001-07:00

Fun pictures from this past month! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home and see my wife!

September 2007

2 years!

2007-09-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

As of today, September 25, my sweet beautiful wife and I have known each other for two years! If you haven't read the story of how we met - it's pretty cute!

The only reason Sept. 25, 2005 was not the best day of my life is because it has gotten better and better with her as my wife. (ok, I really didn't mean to make that rhyme!)

I love you Lea Gottry!

new haircut for Lea!

2007-09-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

My beautiful wife got a cute new haircut yesterday. I asked her to get one like mine, but she said something about bald not being beautiful on women. I guess she has a point.

So anyway, I took pictures of it at 5:45 this morning before she went to work. How mean is that?! Make your wife smile for pictures before it is even light out, and then when she drives off to work, you climb back into bed! She still looked beautiful though.

Lea's new haircut

10 months!

2007-09-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

Lea and I have been married for 10 months today!

For those of you who like overly detailed info (like me), that works out to 304 days. :-)

This weekend Lea and I went to the community pool by our house, put on the goggles, and played charades under water - it was really funny, unless you laughed and got water up your nose or down your throat.

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and tell you all that I am married to the world's most wonderful woman!

I love you Lea

some favorites

2007-08-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share some of my favorite pics!

see what I get!

2007-08-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who read Lea's post, you got to see a glimpse of the beautiful woman I am married to. Obviously if you have seen any of her pictures, you already know about the outward beauty - if not, click here!

Anyway, her post is just one demonstration of why I love talking to her. I don't think I was anywhere near as eloquent this morning, and I loved reading her words about it, because it was like I got to learn it over again!

I think it can be pretty scary to try and tell God - "hey, do what you want with me" (at least it is scary for me) - but it is so much easier to try and step out in faith like that when you are married to someone that wants the same thing, that encourages your efforts, and that teaches you so much every day just by doing life together. That's a great description of my lovely wife.

My hope is in the Lord

2007-08-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

*James and I were talking this morning about how easy it is to fall away from daily time with God. Even more than that, it is easy NOT to give every day to Him for His purposes...basically saying, "This day is yours Lord, and I am open to whatever you have for me to do today, for Your glory!"

*James told me that he was talking to a friend recently about this struggle, and his friend had encouraged him to read Psalm 130. He was talking about how this Psalm says, "My hope is in His word, I will wait for the Lord; like the watchmen wait for the morning." James was telling me that this was teaching him that he should be focused on, anticipating, and excited about God and His plans for his/our life EVERY DAY. James was talking about how, when our hope is in God, we wait, cling to, and long for his direction and truth on a daily basis...and we remain open to what He has for us EACH DAY, which could mean something completely different than what we had planned or something very uncomfortable. This is because when our hope is in the Lord, we will never be disappointed!!It is easy for us to get complacent in doing this, and to become content with our daily chores, future goals, and plans.

*I love how James verbalized his desire to wait on the Lord. He said something like this, "I want to maintain a healthy discontentment with the world so that I continue to fear God and find my hope solely in Him."

*I love you James, thank you for teaching me more about God and His precious Word.

Love you
Lea

The O'Dell Girls...

2007-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful sisters came for a visit last week - it was a ton of fun, check out the pics!

The O'Dell Girls

When I get Where I'm Going

2007-07-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

First of all, you must know by now that I am hopelessly and completely in love with my husband James! Secondly, I do not have my own personal blog, so I had to post on this site! Thanks for reading...

*I listen to Family Life Radio most days that I am off work. I have heard one particular song over and over, that just really touches my heart. Each time, near the end of the song, I have tears in my eyes. I have finally decided to post the song on our blog.

*I think what makes this song so amazing is that is paints a perfect picture of the place that we are going, where we are headed, as Christians. I rejoice in the truth that God has qualified us, through the cross, to " share in the inheritance of Heaven," Col 1:12. He has brought us into "the Kindgom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgivness of sins."

*What a wonderful thing it is to know that our Savior has already reconciled us to himself here on Earth, forgiving us once and for all despite our doubting, sinful nature. How much more beautiful will be the day that we see Him face to face, loving and praising Him forevermore without any guilt or shame!?

*God, please teach us to leave our hearts wide open here on Earth so that your truth and love will be evident in us, in order to bring attention and glory to Your name. God thank you for all we know and have now, and for all that is to come!

To hear this song, click on the link below.

Geoff Moore and Christy Nockels, When I Get Where I'm Going
http://myspace.com/geoffmooremusic

Full House

2007-07-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

James is amazing.

My three sisters are visiting for the week, and he has been so wonderful to them. He has also been so agreeable with all of the plans that we have made for the week! He took us all out for dinner on monday night, he went to Sunsplash waterpark with us yesterday (he even took a full day off work!), and he is going to the Diamondbacks game with us on Saturday night!

My sisters love having James as a big brother. I can see why...as he is loving, caring, kind, and SO MUCH FUN to be with! I am so excited that my sisters have such a godly, mature, and caring man as their brother in law. Hopefully someday my sisters will marry men that are as incredibly loving as James is.

James:

There are so many ways to say, "I love you",
never enough to say how much.

I love you
Lea

painting!

2007-06-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

Check out the pictures... we have a brand new kitchen and exterior of the house!

Painting projects

balance

2007-06-15T11:23:00.001-07:00

Lea and I were talking last night about how cool it is that our personalities and man/woman differences bring balance to our relationship.

Our cat had a little "digestive problem" last night and Lea was concerned and more in touch with her emotions, and I was very...well, not in touch emotionally! I was analyzing the situation very logically (one might even say a bit callously!). Both are good and important, and if we were both her, or both me, it wouldn't be balanced. Anyway, it was cool, and we had a good laugh about it. And good 'ol Charlie seems to be doing fine.

So the morale of the story is to enjoy and celebrate the things that make you unique. Awwww, thanks Mr. Rogers! haha

I wanted to post this picture, cause I really like it. We were outside Texas Roadhouse, waiting to meet some friends for dinner.

Tucson!

2007-05-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

The beautiful wife and I went to a resort in Tucson for Memorial Day weekend - it was NICE!

We sat out by the pool, played tennis, read, walked around, played cards...it was a great weekend!

Here's some pictures.

Tucson Resort

Braski visit!

2007-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

We went to Braski last weekend for Kelsey's graduation and to hang out with the fam!

Here's some cool pics :-) Enjoy!

Also, Lea and I have been married for 192 days today, and I just wanted to mention - I got the sweetest card/note from Lea yesterday when I got home from work - I loved it! It made my day - actually possibly my week. I brought it to work so I could look at it more. Love you Lea!

Braski visit - May 2007

Omaha Zoo

Kelsey's graduation

Nurses' week

2007-05-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

This week is nurses' week, so send flowers, candy, or a card to your favorite nurse!

Also, I wanted to share some excerpts from this article to educate us a bit more about nurses and the wonderful work they do. :-)

The "gentle spirit" of nursing has made a huge impression on the American people, according to public opinion polls. Nurses are seen as trustworthy, capable and conscientious caregivers, critical to the health care system.

A poll by Vanderbilt University's Medical Center's School of Nursing
and Center for Health Services Research in Nashville, Tenn., showed that 95 percent of Americans overwhelmingly trust, respect and admire nurses, and that 83 percent would encourage a loved one to enter the nursing profession.

While most people know that nurses are responsible for bedside care, administering IVs, giving injections and drawing blood, fewer than four in 10 people know that nurses are involved in reducing health care costs, working in laboratories or writing and revising hospital and clinic policies.

"My personal experience has been that nurses are of more help than doctors. They seem to be more committed," said Walt Baker, community affairs director at Channel 2 KBCI-TV in Boise (after seeing how they cared for members of his family).

Only half of Americans know that RNs must have a bachelor's or an associate's degree.

Fewer than one in five know that nurses must be licensed.

Less than 20 percent of Americans know that RNs must have continual education.
More than two in three Americans do not know that nurse practitioners are allowed to prescribe drugs.

And to my favorite nurse in the world - my wife Lea - I just want to say thank you for all that you do. I am so impressed by your abilities and happy to celebrate National Lea Week!! (hey, I can rename it if I want!)

Also, I just want to point out that I am so lucky that I don't need to be suffering from an illness to see Lea everyday!

5 months!

2007-04-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Happy 5-month anniversary to my sweetie.

Let me tell a little story about just one way Lea impacts me in an amazing way. Long story, but basically I had found out some interesting stuff yesterday - just as far as some possibilities I could potentially explore. I found it exciting and intriguing, but these kind of things can also be a little intimidating to me and I can question whether I would be capable of taking those opportunities. (vague enough for you?!)

So I emailed Lea about it and she responded with so much affirmation and confidence and support in me, and it just had a huge impact on my outlook and really gave me a "shot in the arm" of confidence. I was talking to a friend yesterday and telling him about this and saying how Lea helps me to consider things that I probably wouldn't have allowed myself to even really imagine. Does that make sense? What I am trying to say is that with her in my corner, I not only feel motivated to accomplish great things and make her proud, I also feel like - with God - those things are possible, by His strength and to His glory.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that and to tell you, Lea, that I love you and am so proud and lucky to have you as my wife and as my best friend.

Lea - and awesome vocals!

2007-03-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

So you saw the first tax rap video - but there's a new one! And it's better because this one also features the vocal stylings of the beautiful and talented Lea Gottry! :-)

Be sure to go here and give it 5 stars :-), and forward it to everyone you know!! And leave a comment telling Lea how cool she sounds singing the hook!

Laker / Suns game!

2007-03-07T11:16:00.000-07:00

Lea took me to the Laker/Suns game on March 4 (our 4-month anniversary) - it was her present to me for Valentines Day! :-)

We went with Kalla and Kramer (cousin and her boyfriend). It was a great game besides the wrong team losing...but the school I went to in 7th grade has a sign in the gym that says, "If you had fun...you won!"

So I guess we did win :-) (I know...corney...but true!)

Laker/Suns Game