monica & ray

What We're Doing

2011-12-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hey I know it's been a very long time since I've posted on here but some pretty big things are going in the Malouf home and it's high time I got back on here.

Ray and I are opening our home to children in foster care in our area. There are way too many foster kids here and not enough homes open to care for them. So this past spring God spoke to our hearts separately about opening our home and we immediately began the process. We went to an informational meeting with The Call (Children of Arkansas Loved for A Lifetime) of Benton County and got the ball rolling from there. A few weeks later, we took the recommended classes and since then we have been waiting for a home study. A social worker is coming in an hour to do just that! My house is the cleanest it's ever been, by the way. A few weeks later, we should have a final walkthrough of our home and then be open to taking a child. It's so crazy to think that we could have a kid here in just a few weeks!

We plan on taking one kid at a time but we will pray about every call we get and just be obedient to what God wants. We know this is huge. It's seriously a huge deal. We also know down to our bones that this is what God is telling us to do. We have an extra bedroom and lots of love to give these kids that have been through too much in their short lives. We just want to show Christ's love. That's all.

I'll try to keep this updated as we go through this journey if you are interested.

Crazy Arkansas!

2011-05-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ray and I went down to Little Rock on Monday afternoon to visit his brother who was in a car wreck the day before. His injuries are not life threatening but they are serious enough that he was taken from Fort Smith to UAMS for surgeries. Pray for him if you think about it. They said it will be about 6 months before he walks again. I can't even imagine that!

While we were there we heard the news that more storms were going to be heading our way so we decided to leave Tuesday morning to pick up Owen from my parent's house. My mom is so nice for watching him for us! Then we heard there were going to be storms in both NWA and Fort Smith so we just decided to stay with my parents. They have storm shelters at all of the schools there which I think is such a great idea. I don't know why we don't have those up here. So around midnight the news said the storm headed to south Ft Sm was showing rotation. Right after that, the sirens started going off and it was like the sky just opened up and dumped its guts out on us. We snatched up Owen and got in the car and drove around the corner to Beard Elementary. It was hailing, raining, thundering, and lightening so bad!!! Sweet baby Owen did not make a peep. He was drenched and had been woken up in the middle of the night but didn't cry at all. The whole time we were in there, he just looked around and was cute. After about 30 minutes the sirens went off and we went outside. It was crazy. Not a drop of rain or anything. The whole experience was surreal. It really freaked me out and I don't get too scared of storms. Tornado sirens are something I have grown up hearing. I guess it's different when you have a little life to look after. I am so thankful that God kept us safe. I am praying for all those who weren't as fortunate.

2011-05-21T11:13:00.001-07:00

Testing

Well Shoot

2011-04-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hi I don't really like blogging that much. Sorry.

Here are some pictures for you.

John Mark McMillan | Death In His Grave Performance

2011-04-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is just amazing.

Some Pictures

2011-02-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some brand spanking new pictures of Owen. There are only two cause blogger takes an insane amount of time to load. Time is not something I have to spare lately. Chrissy, before you gripe that there are only two pictures on here, be thankful that there are actually two new pictures on here.

Late Christmas Post

2011-01-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas in Fort Smith.

My mom got us an incredibly amazing camera this year and this was my first time to get a hold of it.

Man I love those scrunchy little toes!

Ray can make this kid laugh more than anyone else!

Our first Christmas with Owen was so much fun. He didn't really care much about presents but he sure did love the wrapping paper!

I got the idea from another blog I read to find a word to live by this year. My word for 2011 is consistency.

What word defines you this year?

A Little Bit Granola

2010-12-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

Over the past six months, Ray and I have made some changes to our lifestyle. We have turned a little bit granola. It all started when we watched the documentary Food Inc. and realized all the pesticides and hormones and other harmful things that end up on our plates. We have made slow and small changes but we feel much better about it.

The most shocking and first hand experience I've had with pesticides is on strawberries. I thought I was allergic to them when after eating them every time my lips would swell up and get these really painful bumps all over them. The last time it happened was the day before I started a new job. Pretty embarrassing. I went to the doctor and the first thing he asked was if I had eaten strawberries. He told me to try some organic ones 'cause they don't have all the pesticides on them since that was probably what I was actually allergic to. I had always washed my strawberries before eating them but that's one of the fruits that really holds on to all the bad stuff. That really creeps me out. I now eat organic strawberries and they actually taste a thousand times better, and I don't look like I just kissed a swarm of bees.

There is an amazing local company called Old Soul Organics that we have been getting organic produce from. We get a large 40 lb. crate of food delivered to our house and split it with two other families and it's only $45. One of our friends went to Walmart and did a price comparison on regular produce and Old Soul was cheaper per lb. The quality is always incredible. Most of their food is from local farmers and they have a pretty good selection of meat now too. You don't get to choose what comes in the box so it's made me try new things that I wouldn't have ever bought. We just got some red chard and I have no idea what to do with it!

Here is all the food divided out.

Two weeks ago my friend Stephanie and I had the domestic itch and decided to try and make our own laundry detergent. It was SO easy and fun.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups grated soap Fels Naptha, Ivory or handmade

1 cup Borax

1 cup washing soda Arm and Hammer makes this

Mix it all together and add 2 tablespoons to a large load of clothes.

All the ingredients were at Harps in Centerton.

Stephanie had some handmade soap from the healthfood store with essential oil in it so our stuff smells awesome. I've read that you can add a few drops to the wash but haven't tried it.

It was real fun and super cheap to make.

We aren't planning on going crazy with the whole organic/green living thing. We still eat processed food and use paper towels but we are trying to be more aware of what we eat and how we are living. We realized that we can do better. I don't foresee disposable diapers in our future anytime soon, though.

Anyone else out there a little bit granola?

Oh Sweet Sleep

2010-12-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

I never realized how precious a full night of sleep was until I hadn't had one in over 3 months. Owen has now slept 3 full nights in his room. Not a peep until 6am. He is a tiny rock star.

Here are a few pictures my friend Chrissy took when she was visiting last month. She is an amazing photographer!

In other news, I have to go to the dentist today. There isn't much that makes me nervous other than the dentist. I am an anti-dentite. Seriously, I'm getting heart palpitations right now just thinking about it. I would rather give a speach than sit in that leaned-back chair. At least they have a tv above each chair. Last time I watched Saturday Nigh Live. That helped a smidge. But the first time I went, I was pregnant and sick and the tv was on food network. I had no idea I could change the channel so I sat there wanting to barf whilst in denty pain. It was the pits.

Owen has to come with me. Oh dear Jesus, please give that child a spiritual sleep aid.

2010-12-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

We went to Fort Smith this Saturday to celebrate my Great Aunt Jean's 80th birthday. My aunt and uncle and cousins from Denver came down and it was so much fun!! Here are a few pictures taken by Aunt Karen.

An extremely terrified looking Owen with his Great Great Aunt Jean. She is amazing and does not look 80 to me!

Great Granddad holding Owen's little feet.

I love this picture of my Granddad!

Aunt Karen is my favorite! Owen's face cracks me up. Apparenly he is easily startled.

Sweet boy

Playing with Uncle Doyle's goatee.

Making eyes at each other.

Yeah that's right, I posted twice in one day. What's even more impressive is that I'm feeding Owen a bottle with one hand and typing with the other. "Beat that you little trout sniffer!" Anyone know what movie that quote is from?

David Crowder Band - Shine

2010-12-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

This video is so incredible! All the lite brite images were done by hand. It took 2,150 man hours, 700,000 pegs, 83 friends and 148 pizzas to make this insane video. What's even more amazing is that there is no computer animation or digital effects.
I didn't have a lite brite as a kid and now I really want one. Owen totally needs one.
Enjoy!

Thanks

2010-11-25T06:34:00.000-08:00

I am thankful.

I am blessed beyond words.

Thank you, God for this wonderful life you've given to me.

Thank you for an incredible husband who is so encouraging and who has a heart after you.

Thank you for the miracle baby you've given us.

Thank you for my family.

I'm back to work...

2010-11-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe, but Owen is already 2 1/2 months old. The time is going by so fast. I know that I will miss these days when he is so little. I love to snuggle with him. I'm already back to work, but thankfully I'm only working every Wednesday and every other Saturday. So, if it's been a while since I've done your hair...I'm back and I'm ready to do it again. Call or email to schedule your next appointment. I'll also be sending out this reminder that Ray designed.

Baby Owen

2010-09-23T16:49:00.001-07:00

Our little man is here! He was born on September 3rd at 3am. He was 7.4 lbs and 19in long.
We are having so much fun with him! That's why it's taken me so long to post this 'cause I've been so busy hanging out with our precious kid. My mom came down for a visit and took these pictures. Enjoy!

I Spilled the Beans

2010-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Literally...I spilled pinto beans last night.

Ray and I had already gone to bed when I realized that I forgot to put up our supper of pinto beans and cornbread. Which was really good, by the way. So I jumped up and went to put it all away. I was trying to get the beans in a freezer bag 'cause I've been freezing stuff for after Owen is born. As I was dumping it in the bag, I thought, "this seems like such a bad idea." It was. The bag tipped over and spilled bean juice all over myself and the floor. Ray heard a splash and a gasp and he jumped out of bed. He thought my water had broken! I was just standing there in a puddle of beans and we both started laughing so hard. As we were mopping, Ray said, "You don't always make the best decisions, do you?" I can honestly say that he is right. I usually realize in the middle of doing something that it's a really bad idea. But then it's too late and I'm covered in bean juice! Oh well, it usually makes for a funny story.

Change is Coming

2010-08-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Our lives are about to change pretty drastically in a few weeks. I am aware of this but people keep feeling the need to remind me. I am excited about the change. I want change. We have been just the two of us for over 5 years now and we're ready for a third Malouf. If we didn't expect things to change after bringing home a baby, we would be idiots. The thing that bothers me about people constantly reminding me of the change is that they always say it in a negative way. "Oh you'd better get ready 'cause you're life is about to change!" It's always like a warning of an upcoming disaster. Are kids really that scary? Of course, I realize it's going to be hard and I will be sleep deprived for a good chunk of time. But is it really that bad? I don't know, but I can't wait to bring home the little miracle growing inside my belly right now. A little nervous, but super excited. I love him more than I thought possible and we haven't even officially met yet!

Butterfly Boucher

2010-08-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

This week's featured artist is Butterfly Boucher. Yes, that is her real name. Seriously. She has an interesting voice and is an incredible musician, too.

This video is great. The weird dancing is my favorite. I like that she doesn't take herself very seriously. Enjoy!

A Quick Word of Advice

2010-08-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Never should you under any circumstances plan to be 8 months pregnant in August. Unless you live in a state that doesn't get as hot as hades.

Happy Friday!

2010-07-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

I would like to be friends with this guy.

Also, this is just about how excited I am to be having a baby shower in Fort Smith tomorrow! Yea presents!

Matthew Perryman Jones

2010-07-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

So I had an idea to start featuring some of my favorite and less well known musicians on here each week. Hopefully they will be new to most of you that read this and you can find new favorites.

This week is Matthew Perryman Jones. He is incredible. His voice and his songwriting abilities leave me stunned and smiling. While I realize this video is full of running mascara, just listen to how great his voice is. I can't help but smile. MPJ is a Nashville artist and my brother has played with him quite a bit lately. I got to meet him last year and he hung out and talked to me for a really long time.

The bottom line is, if you don't like this, you don't have good taste in music. That's all there is to it.

So Great

2010-07-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

This is my brother, Evan. Or "Kevin" as the elderly and hard of hearing like to call him. He lives in Nashville and came down to visit this weekend. We had so much fun! My friend Lacey's wonderful mom let us stay out at their old farmhouse on Friday night. Thanks, Pam!! So with fishing poles, food and tons of bug spray, Ray, Evan and I headed out.

This is the only picture I've ever seen of Ray reading a book. It sure is a cute one!

Nothing beats drinking coffee in a rocking chair early in the morning out in the country.

Especially when this is your view!

I love hammocks more than any other sitting device. So great.

Oh and I must add that I was the only one to catch a fish. Ray would appreciate me giving him credit for taking it off the hook for me. Still, I caught it!

Ray and Evan, my two favorite guys.

Zorak in Real Life

2010-07-22T10:04:00.001-07:00

I used to be a pretty big fan of Spaceghost Coast to Coast back in the day. This show features a grouchy praying mantis named Zorak. Well, I was able to meet a real life version of Zorak in my own home. He was just as creepy and just as grouchy.

Yesterday morning I went in the garage and turned on the light to find this giant of a bug hanging out right next to where my hand had previously been! I almost touched it!!! I hate bugs more than I hate cats. They creep me out with those creepy little legs and claws. Also, you never know if they are going to jump on you or fly in your hair. Anyway, I ran in and jumped around and did a little freak out dance. Apparently it was disconcerting because my dog ran over to make sure everything was ok. I then made all my clients throughout the day come in the garage and check out, "the most gigantic but you will ever see in real life!" Most thoroughly enjoyed it.

When Ray got home from work Zorak was still hanging out upsidedown on the wall and I asked him to kindly remove him as I hid inside. Ray came back in and told me he tried to "golf" him out with a rolled up magazine but accidentally knocked his head off. Oops!

Spaceghost really was such a funny show.

You Might Get Punched

2010-07-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the things dumb people say to pregnant women that merit a swift punch in the jaw.

1. "Wow, you're huge!"

-Seriously? You think I don't already know that?

2. "Epidurals are so dangerous, you had better not get any medicine during labor. In fact, you should have your baby at home because hospitals can be dangerous."

-I bet there are many things that I could point out about you that are not healthy but is it my place to tell you about this? Nope, so I will keep my mouth shut. You should too.

3. "Are you sure there aren't twins in there?"

-Yep, I'm pretty sure.

4. "Can I see your belly?"

-Under no circumstances will I lift up my shirt and allow you to look at my bare baby home. Well, unless you are Dr. Smith.

5. "Oh, you're gonna need a c-section."

-I literally had a stranger tell me that today because I'm too petite to have a baby the normal way. No thank you, I'd rather not have major surgery unless I really need it.

6. "Wow, September is a long way off and you're gonna be SO hot in the summer!"

-I could probably wring a quarter cup of sweat from the pits of my shirt right now. I'm aware of the heat.

7. "Have you had that baby yet?"

-Really?

Friends, please do not ever say these things to a pregnant woman. We already feel giant, and hot; there is no need to remind us of our current state.

Feel free to add your own!

The Room

2010-07-08T10:00:00.001-07:00

Here is little Owen's Room!

The changing table

The crib

The dresser and tiny chair

My chair and his moses basket. Notice the magazine rack behind the place where I will spend many an hour feeding.

Not Much Longer

2010-07-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Only 9 weeks and 6 days left until little Owen Foster Malouf makes his entry into the world. That really doesn't seem like a long time. At least not until I go outside and realize how hot it is carrying around a little furnace in my belly in july!
The nursery is finished and all that's missing is a baby. I'll post some pictures of that on here soon. It's pretty cute and is completely void of baby blue, cartoons, bears, cars or trains. That makes me happy. I don't know what the kid will want later in life but until then, he has a modern baby room.

I'm a proud husband.

2010-06-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of my wife. She not only has an incredible voice, but a real gift for leading people into worship - to experience the awesome power of Christ. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to try out the video camera on my new iPhone 4 (which is way cool). So, I recorded Monica singing the song Lord of Lords by Hillsong. Thankfully for me, Monica didn't know that I was recording this song at church or I would have been in trouble. I just feel so incredibly lucky to have a wife that is as passionate about the Lord as I am. It's really cool.

So, here's the video that I made on my iPhone. Enjoy.

Pregnant Pictures

2010-06-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

My mom did a little maternity photoshoot this week and I thought you all might like to see some of the pictures. She's a great photographer and if you want to check out her website it's http://carolhutchings.com/

Enjoy!

5 Whole Years

2010-05-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, Ray and I have been married for 5 whole years! I just wanted to brag on him and his spectacular gift giving skills. So for each anniversary there are traditional gifts to give and for year five it is something wooden. This isn't really something we always do but Ray went with that and got me the coolest wooden jewelry box. He hand engraved our tattoo on the inside with a wood burner thing. Then on the bottom he put the date and "5 years." This is probably my favorite gift he's ever given me just because of the thought and meaning behind it. He's kinda awesome at giving gifts.

These past five years have been the most incredible yet challenging of my life. I never thought I could love somebody the way I love Ray. He is such a wonderful husband and provider for me. It's so amazing how God has shown me His love and grace through my husband. While he is definitely not perfect, Ray is perfect for me and I thank God for him all the time. Love wins with us.

Nearly Normal

2010-05-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Me at 21 weeks.

I am fully aware of the rediculous amount of time it has been since I posted last. Sorry to those of you who have checked our blog hoping for updates on the baby situation. Hopefully some pictures will make up for my lack previous info. But really I was beyond sick for many many moons and had no desire to type or stand up or eat really do anything. The ship started a slow turn around at about 19 weeks and I feel like the sailing will be smoother from here on out (at least when it comes to barfing). All those pregnancy books and websites were full of crap about when one is supposed to start feeling better. I had waited for week 14 with baited breath just knowing that I'd wake up that day feeling all glowy and wonderful. Nope, not so. Everyone is different, I guess. We are at week 22 and I almost lost my breakfast this morning but I held on and the rest of today has been fine which is a drastic improvement. While being sick is totally the pits, it's absolutely incredible to feel movement and life growing in my belly. It's like I have a little friend with me all the time! Now on to the big news that most probably know but I'm going to make a dramatic announcement for those who dont.

We found out the sex of the baby a few weeks ago.

And

IT'S

BOY!!!

Poor little guy will probably not appreciate his junk being posted on the internet before he's even born but I can't help it! It's in ultrasound form anyway so it's not really real. :) It may be hard to tell so I'll explain. The picture is a slice so those are his two thighs and it cuts them off at the knee; and there is a little white arrow pointing to his boy parts in between. That is an umbilical cord in the background (he's not freakishly endowed).

In other news, we have chosen a name for the little guy. We're gonna call him Owen Foster Malouf! I picked out the first name and Ray picked out his middle name. I love it so much! We can't wait to meet him. I'll leave you with one more picture of his sweet face.

Here’s an update for you. Monica's pregnant.

2010-01-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

Yep, you read that right. Monica and I found out on January 31st that we’ll be having a baby. We went to the doctor today and found out that she’s due on September 13th. That’s only another 244 days. She’s really excited about being “huge and pregnant” in the middle of the summer (that’s what she said). So, this means no trip to Scotland this summer, but that’s okay with us. We’re both ready to move into the next stage of our lives together, with child(ren). Maybe there’ll be more than one. Haha.

As Monica gets further along in the pregnancy, I’m sure that she’ll keep everyone updated on how things are progressing. At this point we don’t care if we have a boy or girl – we just want the baby to be healthy. Please keep Monica in your prayers. She hates being nauseous.

So, here’s to 2010.

The Ink

2009-12-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

So Ray and I are getting tattooed tonight and I'm so excited. We are getting the phrase, love wins. on our wrists in typewriter font. This is significant to us in a few ways: when we were dating, Ray put a bumper sticker on my car that says love wins so that's been something we've said to each other for a long time. So in spite of all the fights, the hard times, fear of the unknown, all of the disappointment, ultimately love wins with us. It always will. There is also the significance that Christ's love has won us over. It's just many-fold and I like it.
Hopefully I can get some cool pictures of them and post here soon.

Fall Jewels

2009-09-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by the colors of my favorite season last week and had to incorporate them into a necklace. I hope it gets you excited for colder weather and the changing leaves.

-Monica

Just three words.

2009-09-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

How would you like to be described in just three (3) words? Wouldn't you want the words to be meaningful? I would. At our life group this week, we played a game similar to the "newly-wed" game where each husband had to describe his wife using just three words. I choose the following words to describe Monica: creative, passionate and adventurous. Did I do her any justice? Not really, because she's also beautiful, loving, hilarious, strong-willed (stubborn) and just an amazing woman.

So, how would you want to be described?

Okay, so it's been a while...

2009-09-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since you've last heard from me, so here's a pretty quick overview of what's been going on with TwoMaloufs...

We went through Financial Peace University and can now say, "WE'RE DEBT FREE!"
We recently went to Denver on a mini-vacation. It was fun.
Monica started working at the Gap, in addition to cutting hair, playing music and making jewelry. Check out her latest creations by visiting her joint-venture etsy stor e.
I bought Monica a 1980 Vespa moped that she wanted. It's pretty rad.
I was recently promoted at work. I'm excited about the changes that are taking place.
We've added Lenny to our family. He's a cream labradoodle and should be about the same size as Karley.
Oh yeah, since we don't have cable anymore we've become addicted to the TV series "24." We've just finished seasons 1 & 2 and we're currently on season 3.

Here are a few pictures of the pups and the hot rod.

Thankful

2009-07-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

So I've been acting like somewhat of a baby the past few weeks. I get a tad overwhelmed when things go wrong in my life and get well..sad. Last night I had a proverbial smack in the face. A good friend invited me to her friend's 41st surprise birthday party last night to play one of my songs for her. This lady, named Leah, has been battling cancer for the past few years. She has been given a very short time left by her doctors. Her body is completely ravaged by the disease but her spirit hasn't been touched. This woman has a wonderful husband and two small children that she will leave behind if God doesn't do a total miracle in her body. She is unable to do the things she loves and was really good at like playing short stop in softball, running trails with her husband, playing with her children, and caring for her incredible garden. She still smiles despite her situation. She even told me how blessed she is! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be that thankful if my doctor told my husband to put me in hospice care. She has impacted my life in such a huge way. Who am I to complain? I can run around, sing, play the guitar, hike, dance, jump on our trampoline, swim with my dogs, so many things that she can't do. Yet I am the one with the bad attitude. God please change my way of thinking. Make me more like Leah.

Mini Bucket List

2009-06-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

So the other day I started a list of things I want to do in this life. This is just the first draft and will surely be revised but here it is in no specific order.

-Skydive
-Visit every continent (sans antarctica)
-Drive a motorcycle
-Stay with an Amish family
-Watch a surgery
-Write a book
-Learn to surf
-Eat vegetables that I've grown
-Record an album

So there you go, folks. Just a few random things that my little heart longs to experience.

-Monica

Cha-Cha-Cha Changes!

2009-06-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

So the Malouf household is changing things up. We've added a new member to our family. A 55lb. little girl named Karley. We adopted our black labradoodle Monday of this past week. She and Wrigley are BFFs. Will post more about her soon.
We have also decided to drop Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. Oh yeah and our cable!!!! This is our year to simplify our lives and focus on each other. There are so many things in our daily lives that distract us from God and each other that are just meaningless. Why keep them around? Just because everyone else has that stuff? Well, I think that's dumb. We want to have substantial and deep marriage so these are the steps we are taking to get there.
Well, we're off to our first dog training class. Should be quite interesting.
-Monica

I'm in the NY Times

2009-01-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

So, a while back I did a photo shoot for Wal-Mart. I was stocking Tide laundry detergent for an internal marketing project. Today, a friend called to tell us that they saw my picture in the NY Times. Check this out: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/25walmart.html?_r=1&8dpc. Too funny.

All Hallows Eve

2008-11-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

My first pumpkin to carve!

So Halloween was pretty fun last night. We partied it up at Matt and Jill's house. Unfortunately my camera batteries were dead so I have no pictures. Lots of other cameras were flashing so hopefully I can get some funny pictures up here soon. I was a mummy and Ray was the archaeologist who unearthed me. Then I killed him. I tied for best costume with James who was Dwight and a dude who was a creepy Fayetteville hippie janitor. Good times at the Schilb's house.

Ray's pumpkin, he's kind of a pro.

My running saga continues...

2008-10-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

In preparation for a gruelling half-marathon, I've been running at least a few days a week with my longer runs taking place on Saturday mornings. Not that I'm a fan of giving up my Saturday mornings or anything, but it does feel good knowing that I've exercised and still have the rest of the day to just chill. Well, today was my longest run so far - 7 miles in 69 minutes. The worst part - I had to get up at 5:30 a.m. and run on a treadmill. Why 5:30 a.m. and why on a treadmill? I'm in a project management class today at NWACC from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and it was raining and cold outside this morning.

As hard as this training is and as much as I don't like it...I will run a half-marathon.

I'm glad that Monica's foot is getting better; I'm looking forward to jogging with her again.

Michelle Phelps

2008-09-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Turns out swimming the right way is kinda hard. I'm practicing again today and will probably be pro by next year. (ha ha!) It's the breathing that gets me. I just need a snorkel or even a little straw would do.

I'm a Fish!

2008-09-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm fixing to go swimming with Stephanie, Jill and Amber at the gym. This should be interesting seeing as how I've never been taught how to swim the right way. My good friend Amber is supposedly a champion swimmer and has promised to help me out. (I even have a swim cap!) Can't let my hair get chlorine damage!

Ray's first 10k race

2008-09-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

So, I ran for my first 10k race yesterday (Labor Day). I've only been running for a few months, but I'm really starting to enjoy it. It brings out my competitive nature and I'm starting to see a little difference in my bod - for the better. This was my first time to actually run more than 5 miles; it was pretty hard. Monica was there to show me some support and caught some pictures and video afterwards. Check out this video...

Race

2008-08-15T14:08:00.002-07:00

Hey, so here are some pictures that I promised a while ago.

Before the race so fresh and clean

After the race so hot and sweaty!

Woah Nelly

2008-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:00

Genessa, Kara, Lacey, Ray and I just ran a 5K. It was really awesome as well as really painful. I want to take a super long bath now. Hopefully pictures will come soon but don't take that to the bank.

Our Trip (Belated)

2008-06-15T14:40:00.000-07:00

So we went to Denver a few weeks ago and I'm just now posting pictures. I'm just now getting around to it 'cause it takes a long time for Blogger to upload photos and that's annoying. There is a possiblity that the entire host of pictures will come in separate blogs.

We went to a Rockie's game

It was fun

Then we went to an amusement park

It was fun

The Final Countdown

2008-05-19T18:11:00.001-07:00

Jason Hunter and Josh Galloway duke it out. This is awesome and I almost peed. Hence the loud laughter in the background.

The Showdown

2008-05-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

So Chrissy is uncharacteristically strong in her arms and she is a great arm-wrestler. Please note how she pulled my arm as close to her as possible. Also, in my defense I didn't mean to stand up a little and did sit back down before she cheated and bowled me over. I'm not a sore loser or anything.

I'm Feeling the Burn

2008-05-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

Ok, so school is out and praise the Lord! I made awesome grades in all my classes and will be starting summer school the day before my birthday. How crappy is that? Because my birthday is July 2nd, I've never had to sit in school before. I guess we'll all have to do something fun that night to make up for it. Party at my house!
I'm planning on running a 5K at the end of June with Genessa, Kara, Michelle, Lacey and Lauren. It's going to be so much fun to run with these girls, I can't wait. Well, I won't actually be running with the first 3 'cause they're kinda crazy fast runners. Lacey and I will be sticking together 'cause we've been training together. As a matter of fact, we just went over 3 miles about an hour ago. I feel pretty dang proud of myself right about now. Not so much in the morning when I can't move, but now it's a great feeling.
I talked to Chrissy last night and now I miss her. We ran by their old house today and there were some strange looking vehicles in the driveway. I wanted to tell them to get out of my friend's house but that would have been really weird. So I did not do that.

Darn School

2008-05-07T17:35:00.000-07:00

I really don't like to study. My attention span is not as long as it needs to be for all the school crap. Finals are seriously stressing me out. Tomorrow will be over soon enough.

I got lots of cool stuff from Ikea the other day so that's awesome. Don't worry, Chrissy I'll post some pictures.

-Monica

Holler-lujah

2008-05-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

I just finished my last assignment for school! Holler! Now I just have to study for finals. We'll be good if I can remember the Cell Theory and all about Modern Architecture. Tomorrow, I will be shopping like a crazy mo-fo. Oh yeah, and studying.

P.S. How is it possible to get lost when you have a GPS? Dallas is large and my mom is hilarious.

-Monica

There and back again

2008-05-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so stoked about this weekend 'cause my sister Celeste, my mom and I are all going to Dallas to hang out. The last time we did something like this, I was probably in 9th grade. What the heck, that's way too long. Sometimes the girls just need to get away. So we will get back on Tuesday night, I will do haircuts all day on Wednesday and then take both finals on Thursday (crap I'm nervous). Then on Friday morning I will leave to go back to Dallas with Genessa, Mariali, Lacey, and Kara for Jesus Culture (a conference). Do you know what all this means? Yeah, I get to go to Ikea twice. You jealous?

I'm Sad

2008-04-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

So you know those friends that you just really like to be around? Chrissy is one of those friends for me. When we hang out whether it is dancing at Zumba, cooking and sometimes cleaning in my kitchen, hiking, or playing games, we laugh pretty much the whole time. There aren't too many people that can really really make me laugh, but Chrissy is one of those few. She and Josh have become our closest friends since we moved here...literally. They lived one street away and they're moving back to Ohio in the morning. We've known the whole time that they were trying to move back but I tried not to think about it. It would have been easier to not like them so much and then I wouldn't be so sad right now. Even though it's not cool, it's totally been worth it to get to know some great people. I'm really sad to see them leave but they are so excited to be living closer to family. I would be too.

There Chrissy, are you happy? I finally updated. :)

-Monica

P.S. The only bonus out of this is that they cleaned out their fridge so we don't have to go shopping for about a year now. We had just run out of ketchup, too. Score!

Somebody keep me accountable...please.

2008-04-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it, I have a problem staying committed to things. I often times begin activities (insert something that's good for you), but lack commitment to follow through for more than 3 or 4 days. I need help.

To be held accountable I'm listing the 3 main things that I want to accomplish this year (maybe I'm being over zealous - but I don't think so)

1. Get in-shape (exercise at least 3 days per week and eat healthy: no more Dr. Peppers)

2. Learn to play golf (practice at home, go to driving range at least twice per month, and play at least once per month)

3. Get better at playing the bass guitar (practice at least 2 hours per week..I can do that right?)

Okay, so if you are reading this blog, you are hereby obligated to ask me how I'm doing. Thanks.

- Ray

The Big Apple

2008-04-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Since I haven't posted in so long....here you go. Here's a recap of last week:

Monday Morning 4/7/08:

I woke up at 4 a.m. to catch my 6 a.m. flight to La Guardia Airport in New York City. I got to New York and had to wait for my airport shuttle to drive me to my hotel (took about an hour to get there) I arrived at my hotel which was located just off of Time Square. I put my suitcase up and hung a few things in the closet. I had just enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair before my first meeting at Wal-Mart's New York Apparel Office. For those of you who know me well....you know I love fashion. I had the opportunity to spend some time learning about our operations in NY, and was privileged to see next season's line-up. I think most people will be surprised at how nice the 2008-2009 collection will be. It was really interesting b/c there were several rooms throughout their offices that were lined up with different categories and styles of clothing (men's, women's, children)...they were also separted by brands. This was pretty cool.

I spent Monday evening walking around Times Square; which was INCREDIBLE. There were people everywhere....and I loved it. I also managed to make it to a Boardway show; Cry Baby! It was hilarious.

Tuesday 4/8/08:

I had a "Corporate Compliance and Ethics" conference to attend which was my main purpose for the trip to NYC. It was a really great experience. I heard new speakers, and met a bunch of new people. Afterwards, I went out to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and spent more time walking around and shopping in NYC.

Wednesday 4/9/08:

I attended my conference, and then spent the evening walking around. Before I realized it I was at the famous Empire State Building. So, I forked over $20 and went up to the top floor. The view was amazing. You could literally see all of Manhattan....in the distance you could see the Statue of liberty. Pretty neat. On my way back to the hotel, I hit up H&M and the Manhattan mall. Monica should be happy b/c I "hooked her up."

On my way back to my hotel I stopped and grabbed some pizza at this little tiny place on the corner. It was the BEST PIZZA that I have ever tasted. Half way through my dinner an old local guy sat at my table (all of the other tables were filled)...it was a little awkward at first, but we had a really great conversation that lasted about an hour. That was a good time.

Thursday 4/10/08:

I check out of my hotel around 10 a.m. and spent a few hours exploring the city before it was time to leave. I took the subway to Downtown NYC. I decided that I needed to pay my respects and visit Ground Zero. My heart was torn and the emotions that I felt right after 9/11 were reinvigorated. It was really sad; however, they were in the process of clearing the land to rebuild, which demonstrates new hope. Across the street there was a film crew that was blocking off traffic and pedestrians b/c they were filming a documentary about 9/11 and the World Trade Center.

I left there and went across the street to St. Paul's Church. This was the church that helped thousands of people right after 9/11. They still had tributes throughout the santuary honoring our fallen heros. That was really cool.

I also found 5th avenue. This is where all of the high-end luxury stores can be found. So, needless to say, I spent some more time shopping.

Overall, I had a really great week, but I missed Monica a great deal.

Other things that I saw:

The New York City Library

Grand Central Station

Central Park

Bryant Park

What I wanted to see and didn't:

Parson's Fashion Design School

Mood Fabrics

Madison Square Garden

The Statue of Liberty (up close)

What I regret:

Not taking walking shoes with me. My feet are still killing me.

Sorry Charlie

2008-04-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know it's been forever since I've posted, but seriously my life is a bit crazy right now. School is almost over, praise the Lord so then I won't feel guilty about playing around on the computer. Right now, I have about a million things to be reading and studying that I can't justify blogging. Just you wait, Henry Higgins, come May 2nd I'll be blogging the fire out of this thing.

I Wanna Dance

2008-02-27T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last night, Trista, Ray and I went to see Flamenco Vivo at the Walton Arts Center. Wow, it was awesome. Those people can dance like nobody's business. The music was great, too. The musicians are so tight; I can't imagine how many hours of practice they put in for this. In my online Music Appreciation class, we have to go see 8 different productions and write papers on them, so this will be one of them. Our professor said he would be there and would buy anyone coffee afterward who wanted to discuss the show. I had never met him before 'cause it's an online class but I knew what he looked like. Tell me why our tickets were right next to his. Out of all the seats in the place, we were right by him. The cool part was that he had binoculars and that helped since we were literally on the back row of the balcony. The only bad part was that I couldn't talk and be disrespectful. Shucks. Just kidding, it was so good I didn't really want to talk.
We went over to Common Grounds for come coffee and cake with my professor. Nobody else showed up but we had a good time.

Trapsing through the woods

2008-02-11T06:09:00.000-08:00

We went on a hiking trip with Josh and Chrissy this weekend to Devil's Den. For those of you who don't already read Chrissy's blog, here are some photos of our adventure.

We like to fight...

Always playing of course. (We have scary faces)
What in the world?
Pretty waterfall

We were in the "Icebox" and it was so cold just a few feet down that we could see our breath.

Heck yes, I went in a cave. There were bats.
Aww, Josh and Chrissy.
Aww, a giant and a little person.
We really do like each other...see?

And the glory of the lord shone upon Ray's face.

I felt like a hobbit in Middle Earth.

I like caves, they're fun times.

P.S. I need all of Josh and Chrissy's family to stop hating on Arkansas and encouraging their unrest here. They will be back in Ohio soon enough, no need to pour salt on my wounds. I greatly appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Love always,
Monica

Revenge is Sweet!

2008-02-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

Did you guys know that our dear friend Chrissy used to be Amish?

Payback for putting a gazillion sick pictures of me on your blog, Christina Galloway!!

Reading is Real Fun

2008-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

I got this from my friend Hannah's blog. If you're always looking for a great book to read like I am, here's a hefty list.

Instructions: Bold what you have read, italicize books you’ve started but couldn’t finish, and add an asterisk* to those you’ve read more than once. Underline those on your To Be Read list.

Jonathan Strange & M. Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One hundred years of solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi: a novel
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote
Moby Dick
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: the fates of human societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveller’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner*
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations*
American Gods
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius
Atlas shrugged
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian (I started having nightmares!)
A portrait of the artist as a young man
Love in the time of cholera
Brave new world
The Fountainhead
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A clockwork orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One flew over the cuckoo’s nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels*
Les misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes
The God of Small Things
A people’s history of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A confederacy of dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The unbearable lightness of being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The mists of Avalon
Oryx and Crake : a novel
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit*
In Cold Blood
White teeth
Treasure Island
The Three Musketeers

- Monica

I Luv Grammar

2008-02-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

This is a post that a girl in my online music class wrote on the discussion board.

"Seeing that I have a very little musical background I found all theterms differently than I have heard before. I have just heard the basicinformation. However, with my background in literature I found the waythey identified a lot of the terms similar to sentences very easy tofollow. Throughout all of the reading I found myself trying to carrythis parallel to the structure of a sentence as very benefical to myunderstanding of the elements. One of the things that caught myinterest was the rhyme power just because it reminded some much ofdifferent types of poetry specifical iambic pentameter "

Moral of the post...Don't brag about having a background in literature if you don't know how to use correct grammar. Seriously.

-Monica

Wrigley in the snow

2008-01-31T12:50:00.001-08:00

This is a reminder... do not eat the YELLOW snow.

- Ray

Extreme Blog Makeover

2008-01-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just gave our blog an extreme makeover. I hope you like the new look and custom graphics.

- Ray

Christmas is over and Santa is dead!

2008-01-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

I guess Santa bit the dust.

- Monica

One Chance

2008-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

So, I've been thinking a lot lately. Mostly, just about life in general and how to live it to the fullest. Well, I had this realization (I know I've had it before...) that you really only get one chance to make the most of your life here on earth. Well, that prompted me to think about a couple of things: 1. My relationships with my family and friends, and 2. My current work situation. To my family and friends: sorry if I haven't been good about keeping in touch (I do love you). Secondly, I have a strong desire to be an entrepreneur which is currently not being fulfilled. I don't want to live with regrets. I don't want to look back on my life and wish that I had the courage to start my own business. So, my passion to be an entrepreneur has been refreshed...I'm going to work on a few ideas that I have brewing and see what happens....

What are you doing with your One Chance?

- Ray

Helicopter Ride?

2008-01-27T19:23:00.000-08:00

We went over to Brian and Michelle's house on Saturday and they invited our puppy to come along.

Here is a sneak peek at Wrigley and Moses' first play date.... Moses gave Wrigley the ride of his life. Yes, he enjoyed it. From the looks of it....they don't like girls, but they really do.

They actually played well together. Their parents were proud.

-Ray

Wrigs McGinty

2008-01-18T06:23:00.000-08:00

So cute here!
10 minutes later...

Our dog Wrigley otherwise known as Wrigs McGinty or Barkey von Wrigley is really cool. Not so much today though. I think I'm going to take him to the pound and let him see where he's headed if he doesn't stop EATING TOILET PAPER!!!

- Monica

First Day of School

2008-01-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my first day back to school at NWACC since the summer. Overall, it was pretty fun since all we did was introduce ourselves and read the syllabus. I think it's going to be a busy but fun semester. I'm taking Biology, Music Appreciation, Beginning Algebra (ahh!!) and Art History II.
So far I have no clue what my major is. Possibly music or literature.

- Monica

Christmas

2007-11-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Ray and I put up our Christmas tree the other day listening to old Christmas music and eating chocolate chip cookies. This is one of my favorite family traditions. This year we got a gigantic tree in comparison to the tiny one from our townhouse. Thank the Lord for the Associate Store. Half off everything in the store, but right now Christmas stuff is another half off.

I get in the baking mood at this time of year. I also get in the losing weight mood. Baking usually wins out. Ray asked me to make some banana bread on Sunday. It was definately a labor of love 'cause the smell of bananas makes me want to puke. I also hate nuts. He liked it and asked if it could be one of our Christmas traditions. Yum. I think I'm gonna make some good bread this weekend, though.

- Monica

The Wolf Lady

2007-11-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite stories ever...

So I'm kinda ashamed to say that I used to work at the salon inside of Wal-Mart. It was ghetto but has produced many interesting tales. The town was small but the surrounding towns were even smaller and you know that there are some crazy folks in small towns. Ok, so I'm at work on a super busy Saturday when this interesting lady probably in her late 50s comes in acting pretty frantic. She wants her hair cut asap and when we tell her it'll be about an hour she gets a little upset. She stands up at the front the whole time giving everyone the crazy eye. When I realize that I'll have the pleasure of cutting her hair, I start to go slow. I know, that's mean but I wanted to put it off as long as possible. I call her name up at the desk and she starts going into this whole thing about her hair having knots in it. Definately louder than I'd like in public. So I say, "Let's talk about this at my chair." She says (in the most country voice you can conjure in your mind) "I don't know what the heck's wrong with my hair! I keep getting these huge knots; it's just crazy! I don't know what you're gonna have to do but I can't take it anymore." I procede to look through her curly mass of hair only to find rat's nests. Like seriously, matted dog hair. Yeah, awesome. I ask her what kind of brush she's using wondering if she even owns one. She only uses dog brushes. I'm not freaking kidding. Metal dog brushes on her head. I'm kinda creeped out at this point so I start cutting her knots in half to try and get them out 'cause she doesn't want any length cut off. I cut the biggest one and found string in it. String. When I told her they just had to be cut out, she said go ahead but don't cut the rest of it that short. So she had big ol holes in the back.

Now here's the best part.

"So what are we gonna do w/ the rest of your hair?" I say. She says, "I was over at that Grove Casino the other day and I saw this painting of an Indian girl that was half wolf kinda so I want you to cut my hair like a wolf. I want one point in the front between my eyes and the rest of it to come in points all around my face, but don't take the back off." So she pretty much wants a wolfey mullet. I start to laugh and then have to make an excuse to go in the back room so I can call my sister. I'm like, " Celeste, you're never gonna believe what this lady just told me!!" Ok, let's get it under control and try to talk her out of it. Not happening. I suggest choppy bangs, layers, anything I can think of 'cause I know for sure that this lady isn't going to fix her curly points like the fictional painting of wolf woman. It's not gonna work and she's gonna look even dumber. She gets mad and starts kinda yelling at me, "I said I want points!!" "Ok, here goes." I'm laughing so hard that I have to raise her chair so she can't see me in the mirror. After she gets her points she hates them of course 'cause they look like JLo's plastered face curls as a Fly Girl on In Living Color. Not good. Kinda wolfey but still not good. Hey that's what she wanted so that's what she got. I sent her on her way and made sure to inform my next client who saw the whole thing that wolf mullets aren't my specialty. Hopefully she didn't judge me by what had just left my chair. I've never seen the wolf lady again unfortunately. But when I hear a wolf cry to the blue corn moon, I do think of her.

- Monica

The Beginning

2007-11-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

I've been sucked in to the world of blogging by friends at Keypoint Church. We went out to eat with the young couples group on Saturday night and everyone was talking about their respective blogs and I kinda got jealous. They all keep up w/ each other's lives and have a little network on here. What the heck, I'll try it.

So I have a plethera of awesome stories about hair. No joke. I thought it would be fun to periodically post a story. The friends that have heard some are always telling me to write them down, so this is where they shall be shared. Stay tuned for "The Wolf Lady"

- Monica