I got this idea from a friend...

25 things I love about my husband Jason...

1.  He cracks me up all the time...he does the most crazy and hilarious things when greeting me at the door.

2.  His laugh...I LOVE it!

3.  He is so patient with me when I am crabby in the mornings or late at night...he likes to grab me and hug me

4. His transparency before God

5.  He loves to eat salads for lunch and dinner like me

6.  He's crazy about organic foods and products

7.  He writes me love notes

8.  He's adventurous...he takes me on drives to different places to explore

9.  He is a self-learner...if there is something he doesn't know much about, he studies it....seriously, he knows a little bit about everything 

10.  He speaks Spain Spanish (a specific request of the Lord)

11.  He is a fabulous cook (I'm sooo thankful he does the cooking!)

12. He makes a Spanish tortilla that is out of this world

13.  He leaves me HILARIOUS voice messages when I'm at work pretending to be different characters that he makes up...I seriously laugh till there's tears rolling down my face

14.  He gently corrects me when I am out of line

15.  He enjoys trying exotic and/or ethnic foods

16.  Is passionate about many things...politics, literature, truth, global issues, culture...

17. He challenges me to be generous with our money and possessions

18.  He challenges my thinking 

19. He can't leave the bed unmade

20. He enjoys wine

21. He takes amazing pictures...I can't wait to see the pics he will take of our kiddos some day

22. He can beat me at arm wrestling...without a fight!

23. He can relate to many diverse types of people

24. He loves to make me happy

25. He married ME! ;-)

25 random things about us

I got tagged to do this in Facebook, so I thought I'd post it here for those that don't have Facebook...

25 random things about Naomi:

1. I'm bilingual - fluent in Spanish

2. I want to learn to speak Basque (Euskerra)

3. I'm fascinated by cultures and people

4. I wish I could spend my life traveling the world

5. My dream is to live and raise a family overseas (Spain is #1 choice for now)
6. I love to try new ethnic foods

7. I'm a control freak

8. I'm wickedly crabby in the morning...poor Jason :-)

9. I'm becoming an organic and natural freak

10. I have ran 2 half marathons and want to train for a full marathon this year

11. I'm addicted to exercise

12. I've lived in Spain for a year

13. Jason fulfills all my dreams and desires in a husband...God is faithful

14. I can't wait to have children some day (We already have our children's names picked out :-)

15. I want to live more simple...live on less, and give more

16. I am an identical twin

17. I hate to shop...But I love to buy shoes...all sorts of styles and colors

18. God's grace compels me

19. I bike to work

20. I enjoy a good glass of red wine at dinner

21. My greatest desire is to know God

22. I want to get a tatoo someday but not sure of what yet

23. I love to laugh really hard

24. I've become a fan of "The Office" (I thought it was the most stupidest thing I'd ever seen, then I watched it from the very beginning and now am addicted)

25. Diversity intrigues me

25 random things about Jason:

1. I really love my wifes creativity and personality: I would never do this on my own!

2. I dont like writing useless information about myself

3.  I feign to write useful things about life

4. I love new approaches to old things

5. I struggle to keep faith everyday

6. I like to be proven wrong

7.  Hubris is my nickname

8. The longest book I have actually finished was 350ish pages

9. Ive talked ski patrol out of taking my pass away forever and got them to buy me lunch later

10. Im scared to death of living over seas

11. But I really want to: Euskal Herria!

12. I spend copious amounts of my wifes money on books and beer

13. I'll never have enough books

14. I'll never get through a quarter of them

15. Im better at math than most people believe

16. Im homophobic but find them genuinely nicer than most hetero people

17. I have random dreams that Emily Dickenson is chasing me through an apple orchard in a top-hat

18. I have a love hate relationship with John Stewart

19. Im a new found Capital-altruistic-collectivist (i love irony,too!)

20. I know enough of everything to get into trouble

21. My ideas are never original but come across that way because i yell them

22. Im supposedly bilingual

23. I blog totally naked...

24. Im probably schizophrenic...shut up Xavier!

25. I couldnt be with anyone else...shes my sunrise and comfort (after 11am and before 10pm on weekdays).

The dance

This is one of our favorite video clips.  This guy Matt travels the world and does his dance in each place he visits... and the locals join him in his dance.  (Unfortunately, I couldn't get rid of the ads that pop up at the bottom of the screen.  You'll have to look behind it to get the names of the places). 

Watch and be inspired.

Faith

Jason and I have just started reading together John Piper's book Future Grace.  The first chapter was on faith -  something I've been lacking and wrestling with lately.  I feel like I'm roaming the wilderness wondering if I'll really see the Promised Land.  Piper discusses the misconception that faith is the response (obedience) of our gratitude to God for what He's done for us.  If true, this would then make faith a work on our part.  Instead, faith is God's past grace moving us to trust in His future grace.  It reminds me of the Old Testament when God instructs Abraham and the Israelites to build altars of stones whenever God shows himself faithful.  This is so they will REMEMBER God's faithfulness to them in the past so to move them to continue to trust in His future faithfulness.  The Lord knew that they would feel abandoned, that they would moan and complain, and want to go back - to Egypt (of all places!), to slavery - when times got tough.  The altars served as symbols of Yahweh's goodness and grace to His covenant people.  He was good, he was faithful, and he will be.  I have failed to look back at the Lord's past grace in my life and thus lack faith in his grace to me today and in the future.  I'm struggling to trust him with my future, with my heart...Does he really have my best in mind? Does he know the desires of my heart?  If he does, does he even care?  Will my dreams ever come true?  Will he provide the finances for Jason to go to school? What does it look like to be his child and follower in every day life, when push comes to shove?  To some of these, I know the answers, and to others I have yet to learn.

So here is my altar to Yahweh.

He has shown his faithfulness and grace to me in these...

- He is steadfast love

- He is long suffering (never giving up on me)

- He is forgiveness 

- His salvation

- Jason, my beloved

-  1.5 years of marriage

- full-time jobs in Denver

- my Spanish teaching job

- our car (low gas mileage)

- my bike (to get to work)

- our apartment

- my friends here (Juli, Janice, Erin, Seana, Kendra, Stacy, Rebecca)

- my family

- Denver Community Church

- good health

- restful sleep

- 4 free trips to Portland

- Skype (to talk and see Noemi in Spain)

- upcoming trip to Australia (to spend time w/Jason's mom)

and so much more.

Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief.

The CD that I find myself listening to a lot lately is from a group called Over the Rhine. They are awesome!

This song is for you, my love...


Drunkard's Prayer
(Bergquist/Detweiler)

You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time

You're the hunger
On my bones
All the nights
I sleep alone

Sweet intoxication
When your words
Wash over me

Whether or not
Your lips move
You speak to me

Like an ocean
Without waves
You're the movement
That I crave

And in that motion
I long to drown
And be lost not to be found
You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time