i'm just melancholy. one of those days when i just miss my old life. my life in liverpool, NY, cozy liverpool - (not the weather of course) - but the comfortableness of what my life was. i'm not saying that life here isn't great (b/c it is) and i've met some really INCREDIBLE people that will most likely be friends for a lifetime, but today - i want my friends and family (extended family) right next to me, not 3000 miles away. ever been there, ever wanted to go back?
days like this came more often when we first moved and i haven't seen one in a really long time ... but today i am relying on God's upholding to make it through.
thanks for listening ...
nic
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
what a weekend!
i wish i had pictures to share ... lex went away on her first retreat (2 nights!) and has not been able to stop talking about it since she's been home.
it was so hard to see my baby go. my weekend was full of MANY prayers for her safety, guidance, protection, and fun. as if i didn't trust God enough already, i felt like i had to trust Him even more because i wasn't in control of anything. i wasn't even able to hear from her - augh! - more of a 'no news, is good news' concept. all in all, the weekend went by pretty quickly, distractions were many, and now she is home under my care again! i am trying to get a hold of some pictures, so that you (and i) can see what a blast she had.
it was so hard to see my baby go. my weekend was full of MANY prayers for her safety, guidance, protection, and fun. as if i didn't trust God enough already, i felt like i had to trust Him even more because i wasn't in control of anything. i wasn't even able to hear from her - augh! - more of a 'no news, is good news' concept. all in all, the weekend went by pretty quickly, distractions were many, and now she is home under my care again! i am trying to get a hold of some pictures, so that you (and i) can see what a blast she had.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
the Nardo's
i don't even know where to begin with the nardo's. greg and angie are beyond words. they have taken our family on as their own. I consider greg my 'west coast' brother. does anyone think he looks like mike? carlos and i do. you've got to see this guy talk. he and my bro have the same facial expressions and hand gestures. just this sunday (the day he cut the boy's hair) he was telling me a story and i had to stop him and say 'that was totally something my brother would do'. hanging with him makes me sad sometimes because he really makes me miss my brother but other times it's like my brother is with me. oh well ... (mike, you've really got to come visit!!)
greg and angie are already heavily involved with Norte, our bilingual service. greg plays guitar with the worship band (picture this, carlos sandwiched between 2 full blooded italians). greg is also one of Norte's biggest cheerleaders. angie, at times, has had to run slides for music, with no prior experience. the support and dedication they have for our church already proves to be ENORMOUS!! everyone needs a greg and angie.
but it doesn't stop at their dedication to the church, their friendship and willingness to help out our family is amazing. let's just take the haircuts, for example ... they refuse to take any money. how crazy is that? but what a blessing! they've cut everyone's hair in this family, with the exception of carlos. ...(oh, by the way, the day greg cut the boys hair, angie styled mine ... b/c you know i could never do that (picture above)) ...
... this is just 'some' of what the nardo's have done. the list of thoughtfulness, love, support, friendship, and blessings goes on and on.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
packing up christmas
as i FINALLY packed up christmas today, i was reminded of another memory of last january (not an exciting one, but one none the less) ...
when i packed up christmas last year, i was also packing for our move. and packing for our move meant 'getting rid of stuff.' we had ('had' being the key word) so many christmas decorations that i needed to downsize. why? because there was no way we would have enough room in our little apartment in california for so much. haha, where was my faith? God didn't provide us with a teeny apartment, he blessed us with a HOUSE. let me tell you, i missed some of that christmas stuff i got rid of. these are the moments that make pack rat's say, "i told you we'd need it." need?, no. but it would have been nice to have just a couple things. oh well. christmas came and went just the same and it really didn't matter how, or even if, the house was decorated. JESUS is here and that's all that matters!
hugs to you all!
nic
when i packed up christmas last year, i was also packing for our move. and packing for our move meant 'getting rid of stuff.' we had ('had' being the key word) so many christmas decorations that i needed to downsize. why? because there was no way we would have enough room in our little apartment in california for so much. haha, where was my faith? God didn't provide us with a teeny apartment, he blessed us with a HOUSE. let me tell you, i missed some of that christmas stuff i got rid of. these are the moments that make pack rat's say, "i told you we'd need it." need?, no. but it would have been nice to have just a couple things. oh well. christmas came and went just the same and it really didn't matter how, or even if, the house was decorated. JESUS is here and that's all that matters!
hugs to you all!
nic
Monday, January 7, 2008
back to school they go!
the kid's winter break is finally over. they went back to school today. it's hard to get back into the swing of things when you've had 16 days off. but here we are ... life as usual ...
what a year 'team cueva' has had. i'd love to do a year in review. i think i will attempt it in a different manner, though. for me it just sounds too overwhelming to sit and write about a whole year at once.
our year has definitely been full of many ups and downs (forget that, isn't life in general full of peaks and valleys?), of course.
january of '07 was the beginning of a journey that when i look back at it i say "whoa, did we really do that!!?" after much prayer and wise counsel, carlos and i made a decision, as of 1/1/07, to move clear across the country to a foreign land, to all but carlos, called california. january '07 was full of many many tears as we told close family and friends what was going to take place. actually, as i think more about it, i think at this point we still had to be very closed lipped about it. i guess the 'many many tear's' belonged to me. i wish i could remember when exactly we started telling people (i'll have to ask los, he'll know) but i do remember each persons reaction when we told them. wow, i hated not being able to talk about it just yet. but thankfully, i took one very dear friend along for the ride. she was able to process and just hear me vent and see the tears and just, very simply, be listening ears. that i needed, but for those of you that know me well, keeping my mouth shut isn't one of my strong suits.
work on our home began (or should i say began to be finished?) 9 years of renovations needed to be completed so we could put our house up for sale. so, what started was a very gruelling process. many lists were made, and remade as time progressed. i don't think i've ever seen los work so hard - and i mean that in a good way, not negatively. but it is amazing what a little motivation will do to a man - heehee.
another thing that came along with the decision we made was thinking, in everything we do, ... 'this will probably be the last time we do this with so and so,' that's a hard concept to live by. but one that makes you appreciate WHAT you have WHEN you have it.
january '07 now has it spot in our memories. i'm wishing i could remember more ... and if i do, you'll be the first to know.
thanks for reading! ...
nic
what a year 'team cueva' has had. i'd love to do a year in review. i think i will attempt it in a different manner, though. for me it just sounds too overwhelming to sit and write about a whole year at once.
our year has definitely been full of many ups and downs (forget that, isn't life in general full of peaks and valleys?), of course.
january of '07 was the beginning of a journey that when i look back at it i say "whoa, did we really do that!!?" after much prayer and wise counsel, carlos and i made a decision, as of 1/1/07, to move clear across the country to a foreign land, to all but carlos, called california. january '07 was full of many many tears as we told close family and friends what was going to take place. actually, as i think more about it, i think at this point we still had to be very closed lipped about it. i guess the 'many many tear's' belonged to me. i wish i could remember when exactly we started telling people (i'll have to ask los, he'll know) but i do remember each persons reaction when we told them. wow, i hated not being able to talk about it just yet. but thankfully, i took one very dear friend along for the ride. she was able to process and just hear me vent and see the tears and just, very simply, be listening ears. that i needed, but for those of you that know me well, keeping my mouth shut isn't one of my strong suits.
work on our home began (or should i say began to be finished?) 9 years of renovations needed to be completed so we could put our house up for sale. so, what started was a very gruelling process. many lists were made, and remade as time progressed. i don't think i've ever seen los work so hard - and i mean that in a good way, not negatively. but it is amazing what a little motivation will do to a man - heehee.
another thing that came along with the decision we made was thinking, in everything we do, ... 'this will probably be the last time we do this with so and so,' that's a hard concept to live by. but one that makes you appreciate WHAT you have WHEN you have it.
january '07 now has it spot in our memories. i'm wishing i could remember more ... and if i do, you'll be the first to know.
thanks for reading! ...
nic
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