24 Years of Grace

Crazy as it seems, time just keeps on a'ticking.  No matter how much I want to stop time for an evening or fast-forward through some days, the clock keeps on moving at the same, steady pace. No faster, no slower.  We're all given the same 24 hours in each day, 7 days in each week, 365 (or 366) days in each year to do with it as we will.

What a blessing to have had another year of life.  We celebrated my birthday last Friday with a sweet dinner out to my favorite Portland restaurant and a visit to the Oregon Zoo to see the Zoo Lights.  (Checking #5 off the Forest Grove Bucket List)  But, perhaps the greatest gift of all, was the 5 hours that evening the my husband devoted entirely to spending time with me when he needed to be studying for finals.  ;)

Thank you to all of you for the sweet birthday messages, phone calls, and gifts you sent.  You are a blessing to me!  And now, some pictures for Alicia:

Zoo Lights

Christmas Tree at Portland City Grill

Thank you, Lord, for another year of life.  The good times, the tough times, the growing, the learning.  All is grace.



Tweet

SHE'S HERE! SHE'S HERE!

In a show of what is hopefully not a foreshadowing of her future punctuality, Miss Elsie Rose Boboth entered the world today (12 days late), June 10, 2011, at 5:32am. Weighing a perfect 7 pounds, 14 ounces and spanning 21 inches, our sweet niece was born with a beautiful head of dark hair!

Congratulations, Carrie & Everett!  We are beside ourselves with excitement and are absolutely longing to meet that Little One.  Aaahhh, so much love!

Tweet

Lifelong Dream: Accomplished

Some people have lofty dreams that may never come true.  Some people have lofty dreams that might come true.  Some people never dream at all.  And that, my friends, was the overly dramatic intro to a blog about my childhood dream of visiting Chuck E. Cheese.

Growing up, my parents prided themselves on the fact that they had never taken us to Disneyland nor Chuck E. Cheese's. (And, to be honest, all 3 of us kids grew into that same sense of pride in our deprivation.)  Don't get me wrong, we had nice vacations and lots of quality family time.  Just not at those two specific parental nightmares.

Well, my whole world was rocked last night when I finally set foot in this kid-utopia that I had only heard about.  It was everything I had dreamed it would be. And more. It really is where a kid can, well, be a kid.  Rather, 4 adults can be kids.

He flirts with me

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

We went there with Carrie and Everett for Carrie's birthday. Pizza, tokens, the whole shebang!  It was ridiculously fun; and I'm sure that the staff wasn't quite sure what to do with us!  Either way, I won cotton candy and decided that we likely won't take our kids there either.  Mission Accomplished.

Happy Birthday, sis!  Love you more than Spongebob and Ski-ball.

-Laura

PS - Roadtrip tomorrow with the Sister-in-Law!!!


Tweet

Happy Birthday, Brother!

Twenty-one years ago today, one of the coolest guys was born.  And we are SOOOO thankful!  It has been so fun to watch him grow in his love for the Lord, his passion for politics, and his ability to draft winning fantasy sports teams.

Cole and Cameron at our wedding

So, Happy Birthday, Cameron! You're the best little brother either one of us has ever had!!  :)  We both love you so SO very much, and are incredibly blessed to have you in our lives!

-Cole & Laura


Tweet

A Very Special Day

Everyone has someone in their lives (either past or present) that has affected them dramatically.  As I read through students' application essays, one of the prompt options is to write about someone who has impacted their lives.  90% of those essays are about the student's dad. It has been remarkable to see the consistency with which the Papa-figure shows up in those essays.  They have affected these students' lives either by their presence or by their absence.

Not surprising. There have been studies upon studies done about the impact that a father has on the lives of his children... so impactful, in fact, that the presence, or lack thereof, of a mother has an exponentially smaller impact. (I think my mom is an exception, however :)  

Anywho.... just because I love being one of the statistics, my dad has been incredibly impactful in my life too! He was and is the bedrock of our family. He has led our family oh-so-well with an unparalleled sense of humility and tenderness. He has loved my mom ever-so-faithfully for 29+ years. He has worked tirelessly to support our family, finance our educations, and provide a comfortable life for us. 

My Dad is amazing.  He is a leader.  It does not matter where he goes or how long he has been there, it only takes a matter of minutes before complete strangers are asking him to be this committee's chairman or that group's president etc.  His mere presence commands respect - not in an "I'm lording my awesomeness over you" sort of way; but rather in a servant-leader sort of way.

My Dad has shown me Jesus.  Time and time again.  Whether it was by faithfully teaching it to us, or whether it was simply in the faithful way that he lives his life: my siblings and I know the Gospel and love Jesus more today because of this man.  Also, he is so extremely thoughtful and does things like this and this. 

I will never forget my wedding day. Dad paused just outside the doors of the sanctuary before he walked me down the aisle; he squeezed my hand firmly, and said - with tears in his eyes and an uncommonly shaky voice - "I love you, Lollie. You ready?"  My sweet protector, defender, and hero - I love my daddy.  

I had thought about our Father-Daughter dance for a good majority of my life... Which song should I choose?  Which one would mean the most?  Which one could I hold it together the most without crying?  I thought that I may choose something like "Butterfly Kisses," or "Cinderella," or something uber cliche like that.  However, when C and I got engaged, my Father-Daughter dance song was the easiest decision of the entire planning process!!!  You see, it was my dad that taught me to swing dance. In our kitchen. Often after doing dishes together.  Or any time for no apparent reason.  So we did an awesome swing dance... and I still cried a little.

So, Happy Birthday to one of the most important people in my life!  Thank you for modeling what a godly husband and father looks like.  It really helped me know what to look for. :)  Thank you for faithfully teaching us Christ. You have been a beautiful representation of our Heavenly Father. Thank you for disciplining me so that I wouldn't be a booger. Even though I still am sometimes. Thank you for reminding me to "be a lady," when I wrinkled and contorted my face and making grunting, snorting noises.  Sometimes the desire to be a lady was superseded by the desire to make my little sister laugh.  I love you, Dad!

(Growing up, Dad would lift us up to put the angel on the top of the tree... no matter how old we got)

 Hiking to Hot Springs in Fairmont, BC

Spring Break 2010

July 10, 2010

Father-Daughter Dance

I make no apologies for the length of this blog.  As I reread through it, I still didn't do him justice... I could ramble on and on.  My dad is an amazing man... and he makes turning 50 look good!  I love you, Dad!!

-Laura

Weekend Recap: 2-in-1 Birthday Fun!

Well, due to a busy schedule, last weekend's recap remained unsung... and so this weekend will have to share its recap space on the blog.

Last weekend, we had tickets to the Seahawks game on Sunday... my Schlect grandparents live in Olympia, so we decided to drive up on Saturday evening to spend a little time with them.  It was a wonderful time of great conversation, delicious food, and card games. (At which Grandpa handily defeated us. Standard.) The football game was so fun on Sunday... and since a picture is supposedly worth 1,000 words, I will cease this babbling and just show you pictures of the wonderful day with my hubby.

We had to stop at Safeco field on our way to the game to pay our respects to the beloved Dave Neihaus.

 Beautiful Seattle Morning!

Breathtaking!

Cole's Silly Hat

SO Happy Together!

This week was a whirlwind of finals for Cole and application reviewing for me... it flew by; and, before we knew it, the weekend was here again.  

Friday was my 23rd birthday and my sweet man - once again - just knows how to make me feel like a princess.  He made me a special breakfast and sent me out the door with a kiss. :) My coworkers took me out to lunch - and it was such a nice time.  Then, around 3pm, my coworker and I were startled by a small handful of pebbles being thrown at our office window.  Down below stood my handsome husband with the biggest, beautifullest bouquet of roses and lilies that I had ever seen - but I was more excited just to see him in the middle of my work day!

Due to the fact that Cole has finals coming up this week, I was not expecting to do anything particularly special on my birthday (He has ridiculous amounts of studying to do for his 7 - count that, seven! - finals this week.)  But he surprised me and told me that he had dinner reservations for us.  When we walked into the restaurant and began to head towards our table, I froze. There before me sat my wonderful parents!!!!!!!  They flew down to spend the weekend with us!  Needless to say, I was surprised out of my  mind!   It was great... I have missed them so much!   So we have spent these last two days with them and it has been awesome!  We came back to our apartment and opened gifts.  Can I just tell you how thoughtful my husband is?! I married an incredible guy.  He has made these last 2 years the best years of my life!

So we are off to church shortly and getting ready for another week. Thank you, Lord, for an incredible husband and parents and family and twenty-three years of Your love and grace!

 Birthday Flowers from my sweet man :)

-Laura

Birthday Weekend Recap: - 23 years of grace

Another entry about the less-than-fascinating goings-on of the Boboth household:

Well, Friday marked the 23rd anniversary of Cole's birth. Unfortunately, I was gone on a business trip that morning and wouldn't be able to make it home until after 5-ish.  So, I put together a scavenger hunt of sorts to keep him busy during the afternoon until I got home. The final clue told him to pack a bag because I was "kidnapping him for the night." The clues all rhymed and were likely more cheesy than clever, but oh well.

So we had a lovely, romantic get-away to Seaside, Oregon... Our room was right along the river, giving us a picturesque view. We enjoyed dinner at a local Steak/Seafood house - delicious! And we had our own little birthday party in the room - complete with cake, gifts, and all.

I thought that, since so many people had already wished him "Happy Birthday," I would take a different angle and celebrate the 23 years that God has so evidently shown grace throughout Cole's life. So the cake read, "23 Years of Grace." And I also happen to love lists.  Like, really love them.  Seriously, you should see my desk at work... and at home for that matter. I love them.  That said, I put together a list of 23 ways in which I have seen God show grace towards Cole throughout his life. I would post it here, but you don't get to read it. Sorry :)

We had a nice, leisurely weekend - even though it was still a little drizzly outside. When we got back, Cole studied while I caught up on some housework... It was such a blessing to get to spend a whole weekend together. I am truly blessed by this man, and thankful that, 23 years ago, God brought him into the world... and 21 years after that, brought our worlds together.

I also made a  Crumbleberry Pie - per the request of the birthday boy...

Oh man, I am blessed.

-Laura

PS - On my trip, my hotel room had this amazing view... what an awesome Creator we have!

                                            



PPS - I would love to hear how God has shown grace in your life...