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!

I'm loving this new lay out. It makes me want to start blogging again. So watch out world! I just might blog once a month. =)

As the Advent season begins, I'm excited. I'm excited to take these next few weeks to intentionally focus on Christ in a new and more purposeful way. I'm excited to share this experience not only with my church community but with millions of Christians worldwide. I'm excited to draw upon the history of this time of year and the power of the very first Christmas. I'm excited to look forward to the time when I myself will see Jesus with my own eyes. I'm excited for an eternity of Christmas.

Life is good.

I haven't had a chance to read a lot about Kiva, but what I have read and know is absolutely amazing. You can check them out here and you should, you must in fact!

I've signed up but haven't loaned money yet. Dustin and I get "allowances" each month and we are going to use part of it to loan through Kiva. We each get to choose who we want to loan to. It's really fun, actually, getting to read people's stories who live thousands of miles away and who live a life so different than mine. I am fascinated and impressed by their resiliency, tenancity, commitment, strength, and creativity. I could never do this kind of thing in this country, it just takes too much that I don't have. But it's amazing how "little" to me goes so far somewhere else. And I am honored to get to help in some small way. I wish I could so much more.

Everyone should sign up and participate. So sign up now...now...NOW!!

I'm in McCall, Idaho for a few days this week attending an Emergency Disaster conference. We are staying at Ida Haven, an Adventist camp on a lake. This is a picture from the lodge. Ahhh...peace.

Life has been full of little surprises of which I am overwhelmingly thankful.

I attened training in Orlando, FL last week for my Emergency Disaster duties with The Salvation Army. Ironically, when Jaime and Phil were dropping me off in Orlando I said something along the lines of, "What's so weird about these kinds of conferences is I feel pressure to be social and talk to people, but really why? I'm never going to see these people again, so it's hard for me to be all chatty and nice. I just want to keep to myself and relax. So, I don't think I'm going to make any friends this week." Well, I was very wrong! God chose to cross my path with 5 police officers from Fischer, Indiana who completely welcomed me into their group. I do believe if I lived in Fischer we would all be friends. From the short amount of time that I spent with them, this is what I learned:

Mark is quite the social butterfly and has a sweet heart. However, he's still learning how to run in flip-flops without crash and burning.
Shawn is a funny, funny man. He reminded me of friends from college that use to crack me up all the time. We learned that his wife actually went to Lincoln Christian College, my alma mater. Go Preachers! I learned Shawn needs to not pursue his singing career.
Brad is a passionate and faithful evangelist, ready to talk/debate just about any topic. He may have been a theologian in another life.
Reggie is an incredibly courageous man. He's a loyal friend and all around great guy. His favorite song is Ebony and Ivory.
Angela is an amazing woman for putting up with not only these guys on this trip, but the predominantly male dominated department she works in. She has thick skin and a great sense of humor.

Thank you to Fischer Police Department for sending these guys to Orlando. You guys made my time there a lot of fun and set the bar really high for future trainings. I guess you'll just have to go wherever I go!!

Sincerely,
2-slash Kelli

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!!

Three years ago today Dustin and I got married. I would love to look back on the morning and hear our breakfast conversation. Dustin and I snuck out in the wee hours of the morning (around 8am) and had breakfast together. It was a great time of de-stressing from the wedding activities and helped us both prepare for seeing each other later in the day. I can't remember what we talked about. I assume we were both just ready to get to St. Lucia and start the honeymoon!!

What I do know is we were both so excited to start our lives together. And we still are! Praise God!

Dustin, I love you and I'm still excited to spend the rest of my life with you. In a group of people, you're still the one I want to be standing by and talking to. At night, you're still the one I want on the couch next to me. When I'm upset, you're still the one I want telling me funny stories to make me feel better. When I think about starting a family, you're still the one I want by my side, figuring it out together. For me, you are the perfect companion. I love you.

Evergreen met together at the Goff house this past Sunday. We got kicked out of the Lucky Lab for "Hottest Day of the Year" Ride. Ironically, it was FREEZING all morning long. It was, however, one of the best days ever. It was tiresome with setting up, tearing down, and talking to so many people. An introvert like myself gets worn down by too many amazing people to talk to. Nevertheless, it was a great day. Here are a few pics that captured the day.

The band sounded AMAZING on Sunday. Joelle on the cello is nothing short of heavenly, Devin is meant to be a worship leader, and Chris on those drums makes me want to be a drummer. I loved seeing them all up there, just using the gifts God's given them. They looked like a traveling family band. Chris in the middle is wanting some attention and Dan is the troublemaker in the back. I love you guys!



My people.




Poor Beth couldn't stop shivering in the creek. But it was all worth it! Praise God for new life! Congrats Beth! (I'm sitting in the back with the red crocs on)




And now for Kevin, Beth's husband. He "looked" not quite as cold, but I bet inside he was screaming from the cold water! Congrats Kevin! (That's Dustin in the background looking down and thinking, "Sucks to be you Bob!")




The divine moment.

I'm so thankful Dustin was able to come with me this week as I travel for work. It has made all the difference having him to keep me company and pass the long hours in the car. We've had a great time each night eating good food and enjoying each other's company. I mean, you just can't go wrong when you're on the coast. What I love so much about the coast is:
1. Soft sand between my toes, reminding me to slow down and enjoy.
2. The evening sun glistening on the water.
3. Couples taking romantic strolls hand-in-hand. Birds and children playing in the water, laughing and chasing one another.
4. Good seafood and a great glass of wine after a relaxing day in the warm sun.
6. The sound of the ocean tide coming and going endlessly.
5. My hubby taking it all in with me.

I have often been referred to as a fish, especially when I was young and in the water all summer long. I just love water. Some of my favorite memories involve water- whether it be learning how to swim in my aunt Carol Ann's pool and spending summers at that pool with family, or family vacations to Florida where we splashed and played in the ocean. So many fond memories. The ocean makes me feel at peace and comforted in my soul. There's no faster way for me to relax than to sit looking out at the ocean. It's a place I hope to have in my life regularly and forever. The pacific coast has impressed me even more with it's rugged beaches lined with mountains of huge green trees. I wouldn't want to be any where else.

We’ve been reading through 1 Corinthians at church and have just recently talked about Paul’s example of giving up his rights for the sake of the gospel. I’m learning this in my own life.

I’ve been learning recently how the way I respond to situations truly affects those around me and the situation in general. I find when I confront someone in an angry, emotional-filled way, I rarely get a good response. They are defensive, uncooperative, and I just end up looking like a fool. I hate looking like a fool, I hate acting like a fool. However, if I confront someone in a gentle, heart-filled way I get a much better response. They are more apt to really hear me, to cooperate, and the outcome is positive. I see people all the time, and I have been one of them often, that think if they speak louder and cause a bigger scene then their point is made in a more dramatic way. I’ve learned…it’s not. Why do we do that? Why do we continue to use the same responses to situations hoping for a certain outcome, knowing all the while what the consequences will be- namely, us looking like a fool- but we forget those consequences. We think THIS time I will come out on top, I will be the winner of this situation, the battle is all mine.

I think there’s a difference between passion based on emotions vs. passion based on the heart. I think I have always thought that when you’re frustrated, you have to be angry to be honest. And that’s just not the case. Being honest is what’s important and so is the way in which you deliver that honesty. I want to be someone who is gentle, kind, loving, passionate, and truthful in all situations, but that doesn’t mean in order to be that way that I am expressing my emotions, but rather that I am expressing my heart. When I think about emotions, I think of extremes. When I think about the heart, I think of humility.

This happens all the time in marriages, at work, with friends and family. How do we speak honestly in every situation? What does it mean to even give up our rights in order for the truth to be known? How can I help everyone to leave a tense situation feeling good? How can I care about the way situations affect other people and not just myself?

I dealt with this very thing last month at work. I was in a debate with another department about an invoice we were to pay them. There were 3 or 4 different things on the invoice that bothered me, but one major one in particular. Someone else working on it with me was extremely aggravated and very huffy-puffy about the whole thing, mumbling under the breath, bad-mouthing, etc. I realized instantly this aggression rising up in me. “Was I being taken advantage of because I am new to the position? Did they think they could pull one over on me without me knowing? I must put my foot down, this is an injustice! How dare they do this to me! I will take a stand for all departments worldwide with inaccurate invoices! I will prevail!” This is how I felt at the beginning of the week. I emailed with the person in charge of this other department, we sent some explanations/frustrations back and forth. My Monday emails stated I wouldn’t pay the invoice. My Tuesday emails asked for an explanation. All the time wanting to go off about this department, wanting to take it the higher-ups, wanting to protect my rights. By the time Wednesday came my emails simply stated I would pay the invoice based on a compromise and appreciated her willingness to talk about how we could change things for next year. On Thursday the invoice was paid, all was well. And on Friday I went to work feeling so thankful that I hadn’t made a complete fool of myself my 4th week on the job. So thankful that I didn’t run my mouth like I normally do, so thankful I didn’t act like a fool, so thankful that God has done this in my life, knowing all the while it wasn’t me but him living in me.

How different I am. I have acted so different in similar situations, foolishly unfortunately. How can something seemingly so small in a person begin to completely change who they are? This seems like a simple lesson to learn, and yet I really feel like it’s changing the person I am. And I’m loving it.

I was overcome on Sunday by the goodness of God. I sat back, listening to the worship band practicing and was overcome with emotions- overcome with thankfulness and humility, awe and praise for our amazing God. I just wanted to listen and worship and revel in God's glory forever.

i am a cut the corners kind of girl. i always try to find the easy way out of something and then go that route. i was a good student in school. i enjoy school and learning, but i cut corners any way i could. my husband, on the other hand, is not a cut the corners kind of guy. he's more of a....long road in the right direction kind of guy. it cracks me up every time i see him reading a book for school that is on the RECOMMENDED reading list, not even REQUIRED!!! this happened again today and i was busting up b/c he's just so honest and sincere in his desire to learn. the conversation went something like this

dustin: so today in class we're reading the exact same article he had us read for homework last night.
kelli: you're just reading an article in class?
dustin: yeah, just reading it. it's pointless to read them at night since we're reading them in class.
kelli: so does that mean you're not going to read tonight?
dustin: oh no, i'll still read.
kelli: hahahahaha, but if it's pointless, then why?
dustin: b/c it's required
kelli: even though it's pointless, you're still going to read b/c it's required?
dustin: yeah, it's required, i have to.

my A+ student.

I hate when I get songs stuck in my head. Well, I don't always hate it, only when they are really bad or really dumb songs. Like the one that's stuck in there right now. "I kissed a girl a i liked it" Yes, that song is now playing regularly on the radio. Very disturbing. Even more disturbing is it has a catchy tune and now it's in my head. So dumb, get out dumb song, GET OUT!!!

I can't believe this is the song that every junior high girl will be singing all summer long. Get out of all our heads, dumb song, get out!!!

Not believing- that it's already the end of June. Where does time go? I know not. I feel overwhelmed that the weeks fly by and I don't get things done or do things that I want to do, such as blogging more, emailing friends and family more, calling friends and family, working out more, etc. Time, I shake my fist at you!!

Cooling down- after picking strawberries this morning at Kruger Farms. I must say I like Sauvie Island Farms better, but their strawberry fields were eaten by root weavel, so we've been forced to pick at Kruger. Kruger is more about the experience I think of being on a farm. And Sauvie is really just about picking. We felt like we got better strawberries from Sauvie as well. We miss you Sauvie!

Loving- the fresh produce markets. In my completely uninformed opinion, I think Portland has the best summer markets anywhere. I do like Kruger's market and always feel like I get so many vegetables for little money. Delicious, healthy, and cheap!!

Excited- about my new job. I had a couple of moments this past week where I was driving in my car and was overcome by thankfulness and amazement at my new job. I have one of those jobs that deserves a "that's a sweet gig!" response. I have said that to so many people and have waited for the day that I would have a sweet gig as well. The day has come and I'm lovin' it!

Weirded out- i had the exact same conversation with 2 of my friends this week. The both said to me at separate times, "I feel like I should be acting and feeling like more of an adult and I just don't." It was crazy because I have been having those same thoughts. It's weird to think that I'm going to be 30 next year and yet I still feel like a kid. Sometimes I feel like I "play" an adult that knows what they're doing at work, and then I come home and can be my kid-self with Dustin. It's bizarre. And I wonder if everyone goes through that feeling at this age. When do you start to feel like an adult? I still feel like i'm 22 or 25, just trying to figure things out in this crazy mixed up world.

Reading- I just finished The Shack by William Young. I had no idea it was on the New York Times Bestseller list. Dustin just told me about it, I thought it sounded cool, so I read it. Wow! I now know why it's on the bestseller list and why there's so much controversy surrounding it. It's set in the Portland, Oregon area, so that made me love it even more. All I can say is you don't have to believe the story to be true and real and still love it. I love it for making me think more about my relationship with God and God's character in my life and in the world. I think it's a must read for everyone, no matter your beliefs and I highly recommend it.

Reading #2- I started reading "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" because Dustin and I want to have a baby next year. I'm learning a lot and so glad that other friends are also reading it at the same time. I'm excited to be pregnant with a group of women that I love dearly and so thankful we can share this experience together, especially because so many of us are far away from family and friends. Thank you God for orchestrating this for us.

Preparing- for lots of travel at the end of July- August. I'll be taking week long trips for 4 weeks in a row which will be quite an adjustment to our schedule. Super excited about Dustin coming with me to southern Oregon coastal area. I feel like we need some time away just the two of us and this will be the perfect opportunity for very little money, always a great thing!

A few pictures of my trip to Illinois.



This is Savannah and Gabi swimming at my Aunt and Uncle's pool. They are sporting the fake vampire teeth which they won with tickets from video games. Very scary!



















Gabi giving me lovins at the pool. And saying goodbye to Savannah at church. I hate that part every time.




















Watching TV with Gabi. She likes to dance when music is on, so cute! And me, my mom, and grandma. Love those ladies!!