she's crafty.

Luke has been such a wonderful husband in so many ways. 1. He loves to cook. Which, as many of you know, isn't one of my passions. 2. He makes me laugh everyday. Literally. Not a day goes by that he does not put a smile on my face. 3. He encourages parts of me that no one really took the time to encourage. And that is where my blog comes in. Luke loves that I love art, crafts, and creating things. So, he has made it his job to encourage my creativity. And I LOVE it! Painting and buttons have become new hobbies of mine. So, I am going to post some of the pieces I created this Christmas as gifts for others. I am also currently working on an oil pastel painting of a peacock feather. I am about half way there. Above and to your left is a photo of an acrylic painting I put together for Kelly and Nathan called "Dandelion Dream". Following below is an acrylic/spray painting that is now hanging above Camille's bed. It is called "Cherry Blossom Storm"... well, the name keeps changing, but you get the jist. I like this one.

It is one of my favorite pieces so far. And Luke's. He didn't want me to give it away. The next painting was inspired by a cottage image I found online that completely reminded me of my mother-in-law, Corinne. It is acrylic with some button additions. Pretty cute. This painting took me the longest to complete. There were so many layers! She loved it, and it now lives on a wall in her kitchen. One of the frustrations I have found with painting is finding inspiration. I know that I can paint, but what to paint? How to paint it? And for who? These are some questions that I still have not answered. It seems I cannot just sit down and paint. I need a reason to paint. Is this my own deal? Do any of you struggle with the same thing? I also feel that I am limited in my ability. When we have the money, I would like to take some art classes to hone my skill and find my niche as an artist, because right now, I feel like I am a copycat. Okay, the next painting below is an acrylic I painted for my sister-in-law, Melaine. She has this funky bedroom with bright colors, with French and antique decor. So this piece I called the "Funky Fleur di Lis". It is painted over four canvases to be hung together. It is pretty cute. It was my favorite before the cherry blossom painting. Below is another painting I created for Camille with acrylic. I also found an image online that I liked, and created something similar with different colors and branches. I think
it is pretty stinking cute, if you ask me. I especially like the paint used for the background--it almost looks like wood. It bums me out that I didn't come up with the image on my own... Which is why I am still frustrated and wanting to figure out a way to find my own inspiration. If you have any ideas, please, share. Below is a painting I did for my Mom's office. Yet again, another image I found online and liked. I added her name to the top, and named her "Chic glasses". Fitting for an optometrist office, in my opinion. I also created another image for her office of an eye. It is very modern and reminds me of an ink piece I did in high school in an art class. It is pretty unique, and took a while for me to complete. Next up is an acrylic/decoupage I put together for my Dad. It was inspired by a photo I took of the sky when we were vacationing in Oahu this summer. I added cotton to the clouds to make them stand out, and also added a quote from Aesop Rock about dreams. This next painting is called "Softball Days". It is an urban painting for my dad. It is an acrylic/spray paint piece of me and my dad playing catch.





The purple clouds with gold outline represent my high school colors. The next two paintings were created for my brother. The first is a cute, colorful giraffe, and the second is a collage of urban art, called "The City that knows how." I had the most fun creating the collage piece. And there you have it. This is what I have been up to the last month or so. Creating art. Thanks to my husband Luke. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Wow.

Sorry it has been so long since we have updated you on our lives! To your right is a picture of Luke and me at Edna Valley winery. We celebrated Luke's 28th birthday in November with many surprises! My family came to town, and suprised Luke at breakfast in SLO along with Luke's cousin Chad. We spent the day fartin' around San Luis Obispo and later wine tasting. That night Luke was surprised again at dinner with many close family and friends! Thank you to all of you who helped make his 28th birthday memorable. He was surprised and felt truly loved that day. :)

Luke and I are still living in Lompoc at the moment, but we are currently looking for housing in the Arroyo Grande area. It is closer to the love of our lives (SLO) and closer to Luke's job as the ASPIRE coordinator in Guadalupe. I, too, have a job pending in Guadalupe actually teaching at a site that Luke oversees! Although it is only part time, it is an "in" in the Guadalupe school district, and it is teaching experience! (The more the better, right?)

Unfortunately we have left the church we have been working with since the summer time. A series of events happened which showed us it was time for us to leave. Although it was a short season, we learned a lot, and are happy to have the experience of working together in ministry. It is something we will pursue in the future, when God opens those doors for us again.

Luke is prayerfully considering joining the Air Force reserves as a Chaplain. Please pray for him as he finishes his Spanish class and applies to Masters of Divinity Programs. We are so excited to see what God has in store for us!

We had a beautiful Christmas season, spending the weekend before Christmas at Luke's mom's house with his family including Nana and Grandpa Art. We enjoyed early mornings, coffee, and yummy food. Luke even cooked a full traditional turkey spread! It was amazing.

We spent Christmas day with my family up at Donner Lake for our first white Christmas together. Although the holiday was different than any either of us had experienced, we had a lot of fun, and have lots of pictures to prove it! (I will be posting some soon!)

Together we celebrated New Years in Paso Robles with Luke's sister Camille and some of her work friends. We had fun ringing in the New Year and hoping for a blessed 2010.

We wish you a blessed 2010 and hope that you had a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends!

More to come... stay tuned!

Summer Lovin'

wow. can you believe it is already august? i can't. well, a lot has changed in our lives since the last blog (sorry for the delay). luke and i are now living in lompoc, ca. it was about may, when i really felt like God was telling me that he was going to open a door into ministry. luke has been called to ministry since he was 18, and he has been waiting patiently, growing, learning, living, and loving. well, God opened a door. within the next month, we would interview for two different ministry positions on the central coast. one in nipomo, and one in buellton. after having met with both pastors and talking with them about our vision, it was evident that God wanted us in buellton. so we picked up and moved.

we are now living in a neighboring city, lompoc, enjoying the cool coastal weather. i will start my student teaching this monday at the local high school, and luke is still currently looking for a job to help support us. he has put in a lot of applications, resumes, cover letters, etc... but we are still waiting. we know God will provide. i have a feeling luke will have something in the next week or so--we shall see!

prayer requests:

• if you could be praying for a job (i will update our blog as soon as luke gets one)
• provision and protection; as many of you know, walking into the ministry is not as easy as it sounds... satan likes to attack any areas he can find to make the transition difficult--but GOD IS GOOD.
• reconciliation and peace
  

Valentine's Day

Because Luke had to work tonight, he planned a little surprise morning for me so that we could enjoy our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. For our first stop, he took me to Edible Arrangements where he had pre-ordered a beautiful chocolate strawberry bouquet.

After picking up the bouquet, we headed to our second stop, Sunrise Bistro--a cute little restaurant nestled in Walnut Creek's adorable downtown.
Overall, we had a wonderful morning. As Luke said, everyday together is a treat. Happy Valentine's Day!

My hair is REALLY short.

So, I got my hair cut on Saturday, with a specific picture in mind. Unfortunately, my hair ended up a little bit shorter than I had pictured, and at this length, there is not much room for error. it is a cute cut, don't get me wrong, but I am super self-concious. I have gotten many compliments, but I am still a little weary. Today I wore a beanie to work because I am not ready for the ridicule of mean middle-schoolers. They can tell it is short, and that I got it cut, but they can't really see HOW short. Although they have all complained and whined about me cutting it already. I pray for confidence in the next 12 hours so that I can face my students tomorrow! Pray for me!

Love, Pixie

6 months in Santa Cruz

well, i promised to keep you all updated (if any of you choose to keep up with us), so i thought i would fill you in on what we did for our 6 month anniversary. as a surprise to luke for a little rest and relaxation, i booked a night at a bed and breakfast in santa cruz called the west cliff inn. built in 1877, the beautiful white victorian home not only served as a beautiful home overlooking the ocean, but at one time was also a hospital, and after 2 million dollars of renovation, is now rated the number 1 bed and breakfast in santa cruz. needless to say, we had a beautiful stay there and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. here are some pictures of our mini-trip. :)

Tiger Lily

So... Luke and I are considering finding our kitty Lily a new home. She is very energetic, fun, loving, cuddling, bratty and bitey. She is a Torti, which I guess can be known for their "tortitude." She has been a joy to get to know and love. She really has become part of the family. We are currently thinking about finding her a new home because we know she would make a great outdoor cat. Unfortunately, our apartment is next to two busy roads, and we have a brush area behind us that contains about 8 wild cats as well as possums, racoons, and whatever else hides in there. Apparently there are a ton of ticks and fleas as well. This is not an environment we want Lily to play in. Our apartment is small, and she has a big personality.

I have been really struggling with the idea. I know she would be happier outside, but at the same time, I have hopes that she will adjust. I love her so much and she has become my little pal when Luke works late at night.

If you know of anyone that you think might be a loving owner for our adorable kitty, please let me know! And be praying that I can cope and don't miss her too much...