Free Photo Book

I got a free 8x8 photo book from Shutterfly. Here it is.

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Create a gorgeous, high quality wedding photo album at Shutterfly.com.

On The Excitement of New Things

New Thing #1: Casey has two new jobs to replace his two old jobs! He is working at a hotel in the area and up at the school instead of working at Subway and Pizza Hut. Saying that I am thrilled to have him home most nights is  an impossibly large understatement. He works longer hours, but somehow, having him home at night is better for me than him being home all day and leaving right before the Bean gets fussy. We were also worried that money would be even tighter than usual with the Hut being closed until it moves to the new location. Thank heaven for answered prayers.

New Thing #2: I am selling Avon. I have always been kind of wary of direct sales type things. I am not a salesperson. I always feel like I am bothering people or being obnoxious, but this is actually really good for me. It gives me things to look forward to and something other than Facebook or Netflix to keep me occupied. I have had a pretty awesome outpouring of support even when people don't have the extra money to buy things. Basically, I have super amazing friends and family, but that is nothing new.

New Thing #3: The Bean learning so much all the time! He just doesn't stop. It is so cool to watch him figure things out, imitate us, and just generally be awesome. He says Mama, Dada, Hi, Yeah, Ball, and probably some other words that I just can't distinguish. He runs, throws balls, stacks blocks, and tries to eat with a spoon. He eats pretty much anything as long as he is in the mood for it. He loves green beans, chicken, and macaroni. He sticks his leg out when I am getting his pants or socks on. Basically, I think my son is awesome. Here is some proof!

Spelling "box", not really, but we can pretend

Sleeping, like a boss

Everything is a phone

Spaghetti night is the best!

Invisible roller coaster

Drunk, bowler hat Bean

This is seriously the best face ever

Like I said, everything is a phone

Last new thing: FALL!!! I love love LOVE fall! Pumpkins, apples, sweaters, scarves, boots, and not roasting to death! Fall is without question my favorite season. I am so happy about fall. Ok, the end.

Starry, Starry Night

Vincent van Gogh is my favortie artist. I love his works. About 18 months ago I bought The Letters of Vincent van Gogh. It has been slow going, since I have not had as much time or energy to devote to reading as I would like. That being said, I have tried to renew interest in reading by going back to this wonderful collection.

I was reading a letter that van Gogh wrote in July of 1880 and a paragraph really struck me as profound.

But I cannot help but thinking that the best way of knowing God is to love many things. Love this friend, this person, this thing, whatever you like, and you will be on the right road to understanding Him better, that is what I keep telling myself. But you must love with a sublime, genuine, profound sympathy, with devotion, with intelligence, and you must try all the time to understand Him more, better and yet more. That will lead to God, that will lead to an unshakable faith.

As soon as I finished reading that paragraph, I thought, "wow, he really understood the pure love of Christ." And even if he didn't, he sure knew how to write about it. Just some deep thoughts for your day.

Moderates For Reasonable Candidates

I am a political moderate. I wasn't always, but I am now. In an increasingly partisan system, it is hard for me to find a candidate I can get behind. This coming election is no exception. With a plethora of candidates and viewpoints, I have only really decided on a couple of them. for the first time in my life, I will be voting for a Democrat! I know, right? How strange for me. No, not Obama. Tim Kaine!

I am really excited about his platform. He is more moderate than any of the candidates running for senate in VA. I came to the decision in part because of my good friend Sara S. She is working on his campaign, which is awesome. She asked Casey and me to come walk in our local Labor day parade in support of Tim Kaine. It was really fun! The group was pretty big and enthusiastic. I'm glad I had the opportunity to participate in such a great event.

We did feel a little out of place since we are not Obama people, but I think it is important to vote for candidates that you believe in no matter what their party may be. Being a moderate can be hard, but if more candidates were moderate and willing to compromise like Tim Kaine, I would be a happier voter.