After three years of preparation I feel that this week is the test.  This week marks the first longer trip of many.

Josh and his brother, Ben, are headed to Nashville to song write for their first full length album as Citizen Way.  A glimpse into the project, their first hit single, Should’ve Been Me, will be on the album as well as a good handful of other songs they already have ready to go and this week long song writing experience will essentially fill the gaps.  Word in the band is that the album will be coming out in the spring so yay for that!

Even though I’m now realistically and fully aware of what it takes to be a musician’s wife, and I’ve been conditioned for over three years, there is something about this week, this sort of milestone marker week, that leaves me a little anxious.  Perhaps I’m expecting to be incredibly lonely.  For some reason it seems that just two more days of him being gone make the house seem that much emptier.  Or perhaps it’s because I’m too well aware that this is just the beginning of a couple years of hard work – the love of my life will be putting in some long stints on the road until the initial grunt work is done.  Either way, there’s something in me that knows that this week will show my true colors and really test how capable I am at running a household on my own while working very full time, taking care of two dogs, and remaining sane in one very quiet house.

All of this coming from a girl who was bent on a single life working for some magazine that allowed for traveling to exotic locations on assignment seems arbitrary.  I should be cut out for this right?  But there really was a major shift in me when I met Josh.  Suddenly only the more important things in life mattered:  love and family.  And I am so grateful that he showed me how to really love and how to be loved.  I’m grateful that even though he is not with me at home that I know wholeheartedly that I am his treasure on earth.  And I’m most grateful that I hold him as my treasure and passion on this earth.

Marriage really is a gift from God.  I love watching how is stretches and grows both of us into better lovers, givers, and movers for God.  I love the challenge of working through disagreements and I love most that there are so many more moments of intense joy and peace when I’m with him.  For those of you who have found the one God chose for you to love and do life with I am so truly overjoyed for you!  For those of you that haven’t, please, please, please be patient and wait for the right someone because the blessings that come from that incredible gift are heavenly.

This morning Sam had a near-death experience… and if only he knew it.  These nut crazy squirrels are going to be the death of him and perhaps pull my arms out of socket before then.

Josh and I woke up at 7:30 am to pray together before our separate morning coffee meetings.  I was meeting with a client to chat about doing 7 year anniversary pictures for them and Josh got to meet with a long-time friend and musician to chat about getting.

The morning routine is that the first person out of bed lets the dogs out and feeds them (unspoken but common sense expectations because the dogs target whoever gets out of bed first as their lifeline).  Josh was cracking the door for them as I was hopping on the pot for a morning tinkle when I hear a familiarly stern “Sam!”  Sam has a bad habit of initially bolting to a particular tree in our yard that brings him dangerously close to the street so we always holler a stern reminder at him to go no further.  It seems there’s a particular squirrel that lives in that tree that has been on Sam’s menu for over a month and he is bent on getting him.

Normally after a brief circle around and tinkle on the tree Sam relents and comes back inside.  Today, however, he tried to commit suicide.  Since I wasn’t the eyes on the scene I’m not sure what exactly provoked him to attempt to cross the bustling major road right outside our front door (HWY 31 S) but all I know is Josh’s stern commanding turned to desperate calling and then onto a sort of emotionally-wrecked manly shrieking.

Fall is my favorite season… normally… but it’s quickly getting on my naughty list because it is also nut collecting season for squirrels.  So now on walks Sam turns sled dog trying to yank me towards them and on tinkle times he turns suicidal dashing towards his precious squirrels at any cost.

Sam returned.  He sat in a puddle of black fur at our feet while I hugged my now trembling husband.  Josh simply said something along the lines of “all I know is he bolted for the road and then I couldn’t see him so I thought he turned road-kill.”  This scenario is my worst nightmare and exactly the reason I am always open to any new home ideas/options.

Those of you reading if you hear of a home option that’s affordable and off of a main road I’m all ears.

So it’s 6 – 8 weeks into the college semester as far as I understand.  I suppose I intended to put out my “wise words” at the beginning of the semester for all you young bucks but here I am 1 – 2 months late sending my thoughts on being a college freshmen out into the world.

1.  Dating:  everyone will want to date anyone.  My recommendation is choose wisely, slowly, and cautiously… as you always should but the difference is that this time you might actually marry them!  

2.  Work and play:  my philosophy was play whenever asked and work all through the night if I have must to make up for the lost time.  Now, you will probably only be able to manage this behavior for a semester or two before you realize your body simply can’t keep up but I can personally say I’m ridiculously glad I didn’t say no to social events!  You won’t get another chance at easy and free or cheap hang outs with friends after you graduate.  As soon as school is out it’s up to you to call friends and if you’re lucky you may get more than four people out at once 🙂

3.  Work your tail off:  now you should be doing something you love, if you’re not take a good look at your path and rehash.  If you don’t love it, get out of it, if you do this is the prime time to learn everything there is to learn about it while you have professors and an abundance of educational tools at your disposal!

4.  Eat at the cafeteria:  I know the food isn’t likely awesome, but the company is.  Again, you won’t get community like this again so take full advantage of it while you can!

5.  Get involved:  whether you’ve thought about theater, choir, soccer, study abroad, student leadership, etc… now is your chance!  Anything you haven’t done before and wanted to or have done and loved get at it because the opportunities and resume building is unbeatable.  You won’t get many easy chances to easily try new things like this outside of school… especially study abroad.  If money is your issue find a way around it because IT IS SOOOO WORTH IT!

6.  Explore the city near you:  ok, some of you don’t have one but for those of you that do make sure you go and go fairly often.  You could go to simply walk the streets and visit the parks, or to serve the homeless, or to check out a rockin art museum, or to see a show but anything in the city makes for great stories and memories with your new-found friends!  Also try to take in any major sights.

7.  Do homework outside:  in the fall and spring when the weather is nice take your textbook, drawing homework, laptop outside to enjoy your homework more.

8.  Take naps:  if you’re following my advice you are going to need them! 😉

9.  Take lots of pictures:  the best way to remember and go back to all of these awesome things you are doing is to photograph them.

10.  Stay on campus over the weekends:  some campuses are known for being pretty quiet and empty on weekends but try to stay because that’s the biggest and best opportunity to really dive into your friendships.

Tata for now!  Off to bed 🙂

This morning when I was on my way home from working at the hospital taking pictures of babies I was suddenly struck by a strong pondering of just how far love can go.  I got to thinking about Mother Teresa and how when she was asked how long she spends with God each day her answer was something like “well if the poor and broken down are the heart of God then I spend all day with him.”  And then I was thinking about how I’ve heard it said that the way to feel loved yourself is to spend all your love on others.  And then I was thinking about everyone I see in a day and how I could spend more love on each of them.  Even though I have to sell myself every day because my job is me and who I am and what I can create I was reminded today that if I’m putting love first – loving myself and spending as much energy as I can loving others – the rest really does follow.  I can’t help but wish it would only be easier to put love first all throughout the day because if love is always my first response I am not only following in the steps of Jesus but I am sharing the greatest gift anyone can give.  So here’s to love and the commitment to spend this day, at least, with love at the forefront.

Kaia’s vegetarianism:  Absolutely no meat unless it is “happy cows” (grass fed beef), “happy chickens” (cage free chicken), or seafood.  To outline what this looks like I eat stuff like shrimp and fish but I only eat beef or chicken if I’m over at someone’s house and they happen to be serving from happy animals.  Does that make sense?

I have been a vegetarian for one and a half years now.  Two Decembers ago it started with a big idea from Josh to give it a whirl just for fun.  He now eats meat again, I stuck with the veggies.

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the same time and after several months of prayer and staying away from meat my body leveled out and I have been problem free since.  I can’t say it was not eating meat that did it but I do know that I feel great.  I also can’t say everyone has to be vegetarian because I really think that everyone’s body asks for and needs different types of nutrients and that they function better without certain things being ingested.  Since I made the switch I have never felt so light and healthy and my body is so grateful for the greater consumption of veggies and fruits in place of the meats. That being said, I move on to my next reason for living life meat free.   

As some of you have guessed by my definition above, I also choose to live meat free for animal rights.  Ever since I was a little girl I’ve been head over heels for animals of every kind.  So when I learned just how awfully chickens and cows are treated on giant stockyards the choice to be vegetarian stuck.  To say the least, I watched Food Inc and decided I did not want to contribute to the repulsive way they treat animals.

My final reason for being vegetarian is that with the exception of burgers and hot dogs (I know, hot dogs of all things) I really didn’t enjoy eating meat.  Josh and I didn’t buy it with our groceries before my diet change and I usually preferred to opt out of any meat when we went out to eat.  So as soon as he mentioned cutting meat out all together I realized I really liked the idea simply because I really didn’t like it in the first place.

Saying I’m vegetarian is, by no means, my snobbish way to get out of eating something I don’t like.  I know my body runs better without and I know I love animals way to much to be putting them through the torturous life they are given in stock yards.  Sometimes I wish my conviction weren’t this strong just so I could not be an annoying house guest, but I also don’t require anyone to not make meat while I’m included in the dining.  I simply ask that I am only given the things on the menu that don’t have meat or meat products in them (potatoes, salad, bread, veggies, etc).  So for all of you who ask the question “what do I feed a vegetarian?”  Your answer is:  everything else.