I know I haven't been good about updating the ole' blog. Here's some pregnancy pics.

Week 24




Week 19

My first official pregnancy pics! I'll be 15 weeks on Thursday. The first trimester has gone incredibly well. I've had no morning sickness at all, absolutely none! Praise God!

October 29th is coming soon and we can't wait to meet our new little one!!

Congrats to my husband who after 3 years of study and hard work has completed his Master of Divinity graduate degree (well, he still has 4 classes this summer to complete). I was kind of struck at the graduate dinner on Friday night and again at the graduation on Saturday what an accomplishment this is. Dustin has made it seem pretty effortless, to be honest. He's just so natural at thinking and reading and writing that the past 3 years hasn't seemed to me to be very hard for him. But I know better.

I know it's because of his good organizational skills that he was able to complete most of his work during the day while working part time so as to have the evenings free for me, our friends, and the church. I know that because of his love of reading he used every spare moment he had to do the required and recommended readings for each class. I know it's because of his discipline of truly being present at whatever he was doing at the moment, whether that be doing schoolwork, fixing dinner with me, preparing a sermon, or reading just for fun that I was convinced everything was always under control.

I can remember just a few times that I saw Dustin get flustered because he was feeling overwhelmed with his schedule. He has worked 6 and often 7 days a week for the last 3 years and hasn't complained once. We are looking forward to him being done with school and having a somewhat normal schedule (if you can call a minister's schedule normal!) We'll see how long that lasts.

What I love most is I know this isn't the end. Dustin is a life-long learner and eventually we will be back here again, rearranging our lives for him to further his education and celebrating his accomplishments when he's finished. The only question is who will get their PhD first, him or me?

I'm 30. The big 3-0.

I assume it's only appropriate to reflective upon the close of each decade of your life. I owe atleast that to my 20's. Last night as I was going to sleep, I had some good reflections. They were eloquent in my head and yet right now I can't seem to recall any of it. Dang! I hope this isn't the first sign of how my 30's will go. I digress.

Let me begin by saying my 20's were fantastic. A lot of milestones over the last 10 years- graduated from college and graduate school, moved out on my own, followed God to Florida, learned the ins and outs of coffee and pastries, spent A LOT of time by the pool, lived with my very best friend Jaime, ministered together with Jaime, met the love of my life, dated the love of my life in New York City of all places!, married the love of my life, followed God to Portland, embraced being a pastor's wife, the list goes on and on...

My 20's were great. And yet already I've noticed the biggest change between my 20's and 30's is regrets. I lived my 20's with no regrets. Mistakes that were made were seen as lessons learned. Poor decisions and their consequences as opportunities to draw close to God. I truly felt throughout my 20's that I had no regrets in life.

I begin my 30's by reflecting on some regrets from my 20's. I feel like with age and hopefully wisdom, I'm understanding a little bit better true consequences. No, that's not it. As I turn 30 I have an overwhelming understanding of a very important truth for us all...you only get one life. Just one. One life is all I get in this world. And everything I do matters. I don't get another 20's. I don't get to redo any year of my life. I get one shot to make the most of my life, and I guess I just have to wonder if I'm giving it my best. Have I given all that God has given me my very best? At times I feel like I have given my best back to God and other times I'm ashamed to admit that I fall desperately short.

That's it. That is what is consuming my mind at the moment. So, just for fun and to distract me from pondering, let's reflect on what Kelli would and would NOT do if she could live her 20's over again.

If I could live my 20's over again, I would change....
1. Money matters - IF ONLY I had truly understood the importance of saving and wise spending. I regret not being better with my money in my 20's. Granted, I had a REALLY great time, but I also know I wasted a lot of money, and I regret that.
2. Health matters - IF ONLY I had used my metabolism in my 20's to really shed some excess weight and get in shape. I know it's still possible in my 30's, 40's and 50's but I wish I would have taken eating right and working out more seriously in my 20's.

I guess those are the big things. There are little things - you know, those situations where you acted like an idiot and wish you could just erase the memory of it forever - but there's no need to go into every one of those!

If I could live my 20's over again, I would NOT change...
1. Moving to Florida - It was definitely one of the greateast times of my life. I became friends with Dustin which ultimately led to us getting married, I lived with my very best friend, and I had TONS of visitors from all over the country come visit me, because who doesn't want to go to the beach for vacation? I miss that.
2. Moving to Portland - Also one of the greateast times of my life. I love this city and all it has to offer, I love our church and the amazing people I've got to know here, I love the whole state and how beautiful it is.
3. Following God - Although there have been tough times, times of financial uncertainty, confusion and frustration, I would never in a million years not follow God. It has been the most rewarding thing I've ever done with my life. I never dreamed my 20's would be what they were, they were so much better than anything I could have planned for my life and I owe that all to God.

Again, there are a lot of little things that I wouldn't change, like going to graduate school, ministering with Impact Ministries, taking trips to Italy, Vancouver B.C, and Lake Tahoe, attending friends' weddings, and celebrating every day life with those that I love.

So, that's it. Goodbye 20's and hello 30's. I do embrace you, 30's. You will look very different than the 20's, that doesn't make you any better or worse, you'll just be different. And I'm really looking forward to that.

Our local QFC has a Starbucks (which we are SO thankful for). At the Starbucks, you can write your name and number on your receipt and drop it in a bucket for customer of the week. Last week was the first time I had done it, and I WON!!! You can't really see it, but under my name is my regular drink: Grande Soy Sugar Free Vanilla London Fog. I won a $10 gift card!! Woohoo!!

p.s. Dustin is super jealous. he he he he

I just finished reading the book "Three Cups of Tea" last night. I feel like I've been devouring it since opening it for the first time. This book is incredibly inspiring, so interesting, the kind of story that I want to hear more of and be a part of.

This is the story of Greg Mortenson, an avid climber who attemped to climb K2, the second highest mountain in the world, but failed. He got lost on his way down the mountain and stumbled on the village of Korphe. The people of this village had never met an American before and very quickly they were Greg's best friend. One day Greg asked to see where the children went to school. Haji Ali, the village chief, took him up above the village where dozens of children, teacherless, with sticks in hand were practicing math in the dirt. The village could only afford a teacher 3 days a week, so on the off days the children practiced by themselves. He was so overcome by their hunger for education and determination to learn in the midst of the cold weather and no school supplies. He learned there was virtually no government funding for such small villages and the only other option for education was madrassas, the Muslim schools that are often known as extremists and tied to terrorist activities. He promised the village that he would do whatever it took to build them a school. Long story short, he got the $12,000 to build them a school and through the process realized that the way to fight terrorism was not through guns and bombs and military might, but rather through educating the next generation. So that's what he set out to do. Not only has he helped to build over 100 schools for women and children, especially girls, he's figured out the one way to ensure a future of peace for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

His story is so crazy and intriguing because he was building these schools in the build up and aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He had tea with the Taliban and was even kidnapped at one point but set free. He has risked his life in a way that I can't even imagine.

I recommend this read to everyone. It truly is amazing what one man can do. The sacrafices his wife and children have made are staggering, all for poor nobody's half way across the world.

I'm sure Dustin will blog about this, but I just wanted to give a shout out to God today. I have said before that although I have always felt incredibly blessed by God, it wasn't until I married Dustin that I saw for the first time what God's favor on a person looks like. Time and time again in the last 3 and 1/2 years I have seen God step into Dustin's life in the most obvious and over the top ways. At times God has answered prayer quickly and other times, like today, we didn't have a chance to even pray about the situation before God decided to step in... yet again.

Thank you God for caring about the small and seeminly insignificant things in our life. Thank you that nothing is too small for your care and concern. Thank you that life isn't full of coincedences, but rather your gentle hand of love and protection.

To Him be the glory forever and forever!