Room to Grow

Its time...

2009-09-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

For change:

http://roomformore.wordpress.com/

See you there!

a little time off

2009-07-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have been behind in my blogging, whats new right? I finally feel like life is somewhat 'normal' now so I am easing into a routine and I hope that spending time with my blog is apart of that. Here are a few pictures to hold you over.

the birth story

2009-05-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

The Birth of Lily Karthryn Lim

My labor started about a week before I actually went into labor. I went in for my forty-week check up and my midwife asked me if I wanted to see if anything was starting to happen. To both of our surprise I was four centimeters dialed. She warned me that my labor could be a fast one. I went home and frantically cleaned the house and then began to wait. I was positive this baby was going to come that night. Late in the evening contractions started but nothing progressed. I went to bed and figured that if labor was going to start in the middle of the night I wanted to be well rested. I woke in the morning feeling normal again, this happened again, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night. So by Saturday I was tired of hanging out at home. I decided to go to the park and celebrate a friend's son's birthday and then off to a friend's baby shower. I got a call from Art at around six in the evening saying that he had thrown out his back and was laying on the couch in a lot of pain. As soon as I got the call I figured baby was coming tonight for sure. When I got home I got this frantic need to eat dinner so I went and made myself a large turkey sandwich and sat down and ate while my contractions began to rise with intensity in my body. Art decided that he should take some old pain medicine to help his back pain so he could be ready for the labor. It numbed the pain but also made him very sick. Here we were: me in labor and Art over the toilet, getting ready to bring this little girl into the world. At that moment I realized I had been striped of my 'plan' of how this was going to look. We prayed for strength and called on the promise that in our weakness our God is strong.

I called my midwife and told her that my contractions were coming on stronger and closer together. She agreed to come over to our house and check me. She arrived at nine o’clock and said that I was six centimeters dialed and that I needed to get ready and meet her at the Birth Center at ten o’clock. Art and I got our last minute things together and drove over. We arrived before she did and happen to find an open door in the back and let ourselves in. We found a room in the back and began to settle in. My midwife arrived surprised that we had found an open door and moved us to a different room that was ready. She filled the bath with water, turned down the lights and lit some candles. She suggested that I get into the tub. The water was warm and relaxing and Art turned on some soft music. My friend and birth helper Danyale arrived as I was getting in. The contractions began to grow with intensity and began to come closer together. My breaks in between were slowly disappearing. Art steadily talked me through each contraction while Danyale encouraged me. After a while in the tub my midwife told me that I needed to go use the bathroom. After finding a tiny break in my contractions I got out and sat on the toilet. It was nice to be in a new position and after sitting there a minute my water broke with great intensity. I began to get the urge to push so my midwife checked me on the bed and then invited me to sit on the birthing stool. I sat there for a few contractions and the urge to push started to grow like a wave building before it crashes onto the shore. I started to work with the rhythm of the contractions and urges and pushed when they peaked. Soon you could see a little tuft of hair as she was working her way down. My midwife had me go to the bed as I began to push. I continued pushing as they peaked and out came my beautiful little girl. They held her up to me and I couldn’t believe that we had done it.

She was laid on my chest and cried this sweet new little cry. I checked her over for ten fingers and toes and to make sure she really was a little girl. After a few minutes she stopped crying and just looked deep into my eyes. We stared at each other and I couldn’t believe that she was mine. Art and I held her as we commissioned her with God’s word:

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:16-21

Lily Kathryn Lim
Born 1:35 in the morning
April 5th 2009
8 pounds 13 ounces
21 ¾ inches long

so cute

2009-04-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my sweet Lily taken by our good friend Josh Durias
I cant imagine my life without her!
There will be more pictures and a birth story to come soon.

she is here!

2009-04-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

Lily Kathryn Lim
born April 5th, 2009 at 1:35 am
weighing 8 pounds 13 ounces and measuring 21 3/4 inches long!

39 weeks and counting

2009-03-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some 9 month belly pictures. Just when I think I cant get any bigger I do. We just had our checkup today and she is looking good, around 8 pounds and is due any day now. Her room is ready, laundry done, most things put together, now just waiting for her!

gross...right?

2009-03-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Art and I found this wall behind Pikes Place market its totally covered with gum. We were very intrigued and grossed out. The things you find...

please dont sing along

2009-03-15T22:04:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband took me on a surprise date to Seattle a few weeks ago. We drove down and checked into our hotel. It was fancy and fun to pretend like we normally stay in places like that. Every time we would get into the elevators we would discuss if our behavior was appropriate or if we were following proper etiquette. Hopefully we didn't make to big of fools of ourselves.

Art and I are kind of lame tourists because we don't have any cable television in our house so whenever we go anywhere with tv we always get hooked. So after sitting in our hotel room getting our tv fix (I wont tell you how long we were actually doing this) we got ready and went out to dinner at Elliot's Oyster House and met up with some dear friends. After dinner we went to the Lion King, it was so good. We both sang the songs for days. It made me wish I could sing like that. Maybe in heaven...

Unfortunately I didn't take a full body picture of my 8 month belly so this will have to do for all of you that have been asking for a picture. I promise there will be another one to come.

loving the unlovable

2009-03-15T19:51:00.000-07:00

This is Eva's new love...her green bear. The fabric looks like it was taken off of a couch from 1970 (I think it actually was), it has no eyes, nose or mouth and a gross pink yarn scarf.

The story behind this sick little bear started a few weeks ago when a sweet older woman dropped off about 100 of these at Art's fire station. His chief took one look at them and told Art to throw them out, he felt like they could potentially traumatize a small child. So, Art feeling bad takes one out to take home for Eva to chew up and then we can quickly throw it away.

Of course this is the one toy she chooses to be her baby. She carries this around with her everywhere and gently licks it until she falls asleep. So, this gross green bear is apart of the family now. Thanks Eva for loving the unlovable.

a poem

2009-02-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

I hazily awaken
from winter's deep slumber -
the towhees, wrens, and chickadees help
with their beautiful daily songs of offering

The sun
our beautiful star
encourages me to rise
earlier and earlier
with brightness and warmth

Inner ponderings stir and whirl
coats turn to sweaters
garden begins to whisper
time for this year's work to begin
Awaken!

(title and author unknown)

I came across this sweet little poem and I found myself eager for spring and for our new baby to come. I feel like my body couldn't possibly change anymore, yet I know it will. I am trying wait patiently this last month and a half knowing that when the sun comes out and the flowers begin to bloom we will hold our sweet new girl in our arms.

Belly + Hair

2009-01-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here you go...the belly at 30 weeks (or 7 months for all the non-pregnant people) and the much anticipated hair do!

Hair?!

2009-01-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

I want a new hair do. I feel like I have had my same long and straight hair for a while now. I think its time for a change. I also know that soon I will want something that is less maintence.

So what do you think of this hair cut?

I have this lovely unmanageable wavy/sort of curly hair that I usually straighten so here is a photo of Heidi Klum with wavy hair:

The one on the right would be the straight version:

Yea or Nay?!

(Photos taken from People.com)

A Random Year in Review

2009-01-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

January:
Happy 2008!

February:

Guitar Hero...need I say more?

March:

Germany, France and Italy!

April:

Clothes Swap with the girls...so fun!

May:
Yard Sale where we sold lots of crap.

June:

Refinished our kitchen floors...glad that one is over.

Before:

After:

July:
We found out that Eva was going to be a big sister!

August:
Art was the first person ever to climb the chuckanut crimp project now renamed named Artificial Lim!

September:
Time with family and friends in Spokane and Yakima.

October:
We went on a road trip to Portland. We visited the zoo and got to meet Samudra the baby elephant!

November:

Art took a dream climbing trip to Hueco Texas.

December:

White Christmas

2008 was a great year and we look forward to lots of change in 09!

where do babies come from?

2009-01-06T17:50:00.001-08:00

A conversation I had with my neighbor Henry (4)

After looking quizzically at my belly for a few minutes...

Henry: Did you swallow your baby?

the rural juror

2008-12-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

Ive been summoned for jury duty. I feel like a real adult now. Ive been chosen to serve the last week of January and the first week of February, two weeks seems like a long time and if I get selected for a case it could go longer. They tell me in the handy brochure that I need no special knowledge or ability to do this job, just common sense, the ability to concentrate on the evidence and to be fair and honest. I think I can do that. What are you suppose to wear to jury duty? This is going to be interesting.
I will leave you with a quote: " The American system of trial by jury is unique. No other nation relies so heavily on ordinary citizens to make its most important decisions about law, business practice, and personal liberty-even death. Ideally, Americans take their participation seriously least they someday stand before their peers seeking justice." --Stephen J. Adler

If you are wondering where the Rural Juror came from:

snow day

2008-12-17T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are loving all the snow around our house!

Somthing to think about...

2008-12-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

I guess when you are about to become a mother you start doing things like this...

Month 5

2008-12-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some growing belly pictures. She has managed to pop out a bunch the last few weeks. She is an active gal and we are looking forward to meeting her.

Also, sorry about the messy house in the background...we are getting our counter tops re-done today. I will try to post some pictures of the finished results soon.

It's a....

2008-11-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

GIRL!!!

Here are a few pictures from her ultra sound today.

She is 20 weeks old and 14oz.

Take a guess...

2008-11-13T12:20:00.001-08:00

Friend

2008-10-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

During my first three months of being pregnant I was really sick. For most its just morning or evening sickness but for me it was all day sickness and yes I did throw up (for some reason everyone always asks me this question). My loving and sweet husband cared for me but when he was gone I had a friend that was the most amazing companion. She was at every visit to the bathroom and every moment on the couch. She never complained and was faithfully by my side. For her dedication I promised her that when the baby comes that I would try to not forget her...

Thanks Eva!

Some fun news!

2008-10-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Art and I are going to have a baby!

We are due April 1st, 2009

Yes: we are going to find out what it is...three more weeks

No: we have no idea what to name it...any suggestions?

A Belly Shot at 4 months:

Ok...ok Im back!

2008-10-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have always loved to journal. As a kid I kept endless journals about my day, what I was thinking, who I liked and what my life would be like when I grew up. I love looking back at them now to see what I spent my time thinking about. For whatever reason though I would just up and quite my journals for months at a time. I didn't want to think about writing anymore.
Without realizing it I did just that with my blog. Im back now and I have a lot of catching up to do...

Day 12

2008-08-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

We decided to stay an extra day here...why wouldn't you it is so beautiful and relaxing and everything we were hoping for. We ate up lots of pizza and pasta and drank a lot of wine and spent the days exploring the 5 towns that make up Chinque Terra.

Can you see the man in the rock?

In this picture a group of Italian woman are cleaning up this small sanctuary but the best part is most of them are smoking cigarettes while they are doing it.

Some friends we met while we were there.

Day 11...no words needed!

2008-07-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

Day 10 - In the double digits!

2008-07-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

On the train we both tried to sleep as much as we could. Its hard to sleep sitting up on a train without looking like a complete fool. I woke up many times with my head hanging down and drool on my face...lovely. We both managed to get in a few hours of sleep and then woke up to the most amazing view of the Swiss Alps. Wow...those things are amazing. I look forward to seeing Switzerland on better terms next time. We pulled into Genoa around noon and purchased our ticket to Vernazza, Italy. We had made it to Italy!

The second train stopped at every small town along the coast. The sun was shining and the towns were so full of color...it was beautiful. We landed in Vernazza at 3:00 pm and stepped into the most beautiful town I have ever seen. Markets lined the main walkway with people busy with the days business. While we were looking about an older woman grabbed Art's arm and started to speak to him at a rapid pace in Italian. The only thing she could say in English was, "see, see" and kept pointing to her eyes. I looked at Art and said, "this is weird don't go with her...this is how you die in America" he smiled and said, "lets just go look at what she wants to show us." So off we went up these narrow unmarked streets past many brightly colored doors. She opened the door to a quaint little home with two twin beds and a loft with a queen bed and it was just we had wanted. First I began speaking loud and clear (like she could understand, but we all do it) to make sure that we were not sharing this with anyone else. She kept saying uno, uno which I guess means one because I had NO exposure to the Italian language and realized it when I am standing here with her trying figure this all out. Then onto price she goes and grabs and old Readers Digest from the shelf and writes down 90 and circles it and I watch as Art thinks its 90 a person per night so he says no and begins to leave so she grabs his arm and writes 80 for two nights, so 40 a night, which is a sweet deal, and we both say yes!

She helped us get settled, gave us the rules, mainly no smoking inside, gave us the key and left. After she left we both ran for the shower, a night in a train station doesn't leave you feeling all that clean. The tub in the bathroom was about the size of a coffee table. We managed to figure it out.

We decided to go for a walk in Vernazza around the water and climbed around on the beach boulders. Big hair, stone washed jeans, big boots and the smell of garlic everywhere- I love Italy!

We soaked in the beauty and then found a little restaurant to eat at. Grandpa, owner, waiter and cook met us at the door. We ordered our appetizer the anti-pasta dish, then the pasta also called the first, then the meat also called the second then dessert. You have to pay for the water and it was not cheap. A bottle of wine in Italy was cheaper then the water, so we stuck with the wine. We both had lemon marinated sardines, not like the ones you eat here and seafood spaghetti...so good! We finished dinner with a lemon drink that tasted like lemon extract but was a town specialty so we drank up and then walked home and crawled into bed. Sleep at last!

Day and Night of Day 9

2008-07-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

Art and I checked out of our hotel first thing in the morning and went over to Hunters flat for breakfast and to say goodbye. We headed for the grocery store to stock up for our long day of travel. We bought cheese, wine and lots of chocolate for our 6+ hour train ride to Genoa, Italy. We said goodbye to our dear friend Hunter. Jon and Kelly took us to the train station in Toulouse where we said goodbye to them. We found our seats and began our journey to Italy. We were both looking forward to good food, good wine and peaceful lemon groves. We road the train all day and as the evening came about one hour before our arrival I began to poke around our map and guide book. I felt like maybe something wasn't right about how quickly it took us to get to Italy from France and sure enough we realized that we were on wrong train headed to Geneva Switzerland not Genoa, Italy. Let me quickly explain that first of all they don't put the country name on the ticket so its not like we weren't paying attention and the second thing is they use different names and spellings then we do for cities so we both thought that this must be how they spell Geneva but really mean Genoa. So we both looked it over and confirmed the direction that we had traveled was the wrong way from where we wanted to go. We decided that when we got to the train station we would purchase new tickets to Italy or worse case scenario we would stay in a hotel for the night and take the train in the morning.

We arrived at the train station at 9pm. Our first stop was the Internet cafe so we could look up the train schedule and see what our options were. We of course didn't realize that we were in Switzerland now and needed new money, because they don't use the Euro. So we had to find an ATM to get enough money to use the computer. We found the train schedule and the only thing they had available was a train that would transfer 3 or 4 times and what would take a normal 6 hour trip would take 12+ hours on the night train. So we decided to go with plan B and look for a hotel. As soon as we left the train station we were hit with the sadness of this downtown: prostitutes walking the street, drunk men throwing up and small gangs of men in the streets calling out to us. Of course we looked like prime targets with our backpacks on walking through the city. We found a few hotels only to find they were booked. So we kept walking only to find more hotels that were booked. Finally an English speaking woman explained to us that there was a political convention and a car show happening that night and we would not be finding any hotel with an open room. We asked for directions to the youth hostel and after walking 12 blocks we found out that of course they were full too. I sat down in the hostel and cried out of frustration and feeling forgotten that my prayers were not heard. We decided to go back to the station to see what else we could do to get out of this town. When we arrived all the ticket counters were closed and the only way you could buy a ticket was with a machine and it would only let you purchase a ticket for inside of Switzerland, which was the opposite direction of where we wanted to go. So it was decided we would sleep at the train station and wait for the ticket booth to open at 5:45 am. We decided to go back into the city and see what we could find to do for the night but Europe unlike America does not do 24 hour anything. All the fast food places were closed, we spent 20 minutes at an Internet cafe until it closed and kicked us out. We walked around as much as we felt comfortable and then back to the train station to make ourselves a camp. We found a nice little corner where we moved a few tables and fake trees around so we couldn't be seen. We would both take turns reading while the other one slept. The other not so wonderful thing about Europe is that they don't have public bathrooms available and this town especially had none! So Art being a man was able to find a spot to go but me on the other hand had no where to go so I just stopped drinking any beverages for the rest of the night. We were doing great until about 1:00am when a police officer informed us that we couldn't stay in the station because it was closing. What? closing? Where were we to go now? So we put on a few more layers of clothes and went downstairs to the outside mall. We sat down on the marble floor and I pulled out my towel to sit on and Art and I snuggled together hoping no one would see us or try to talk to us. That didn't last for the long. The drunks stated coming out. Our first "friend" was a really drunk French man who kept asking us if we wanted to smoke. He then sat down with us and fell asleep, every time he would wake up he would ask us if we spoke french and if we wanted a cigarette and each time we would giggle and tell him no thanks. I did appreciate the comic relief he added for the night. The second friend we met was a man from England! English we were so excited! He was in the same situation as us traveling alone and ended up in the wrong town and was unable to find a hotel. We talked with him about his life and appreciated having another set of eyes and protection if needed. Next came a really drunk Irish man who told us he hated England and then tried to fight our English friend but passed out on the ground before he got there. There were a few other drunks that tried talking to us but never stayed to our relief. It was quite an eventful night.

When the clock hit 5:30am and we decided to go see if the Starbucks was open for coffee, something to eat and a bathroom. We walked over to the coffee shop to find that they didn't open until 9:30 am! What?! What kind of a coffee shop opens so late! Back to the train station to wait for the gates to be raised so we could go back in. We were finally let in by the same night guard and we went to go buy our train ticket. We were first in line! When we went to the window they told us that the system was down and the tickets were not printing and to check back in 20 minutes. So we found a coffee shop that was open so we could go to the bathroom. In exactly 20 minutes we were back at the window only to find it was still down this happened three more times. Our train was to leave at 7:07 am and it was 6:50 am and we did not have a ticket in our hands! I prayed that the Lord would please get us out of that town and when we went back the fifth time the ticket agent told us no again. I asked him if he could write one out and he did...how crazy is that! We got our ticket and ran upstairs and boarded our train to Genoa, Italy. We were both so exhausted and glad to get our of there!

Day 8!

2008-06-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

We slept in and met Jon and Kelly out front by the fountain, Hunter had to work today so we were off to explore the area. We started our day looking for a pastry shop and an Internet cafe. We found the bakery, there is one of those on every corner, but the internet shop was never found. We walked and walked and eventually gave up.

Our to do list for the day was to find a castle, eat some lunch and rock climb. We loaded up the car and started out for Carcassonne, a near by town to explore.

When we got there we found just the perfect castle to spend our day. It was fun to pretend what life was like and where we would have lived. Art wanted to work security for sure. I would have probably ground flour or raised the children.

Inside the castle...

The town of Carcassonne...

After walking around and taking in the views we decided to head into the civilized part of the town and have some lunch. The little restaurant we found had the best French cuisine. We ate up and decided to head back to Caste, Hunter's town to find his school where he taught. The men were going to climb with the community climbing club at his school. We dropped them off for a good climb while Kelly and I went to the market to buy dinner. We learned a thing or two about grocery shopping in France. First of all you can buy your milk on the shelf there. They have hundreds of different kinds of yogurt, cheese and meats. When you purchase your fruit or veggies you must weigh them and place a price sticker on them (like what we do when we go to the deli) and then bring them up to the cashier to purchase. We made the mistake of not weighing ours and got one nasty look from our cashier who I'm sure was annoyed at us for not doing our part. She marched off and weighed our stuff and then brought them back to us. I felt bad for not following the rules but there was no real way we could communicate that to her so Kelly and I just gave her sorry eyes.

We went back to the school and picked up our men and off to Hunter's home to make dinner. We made some noodles and bread. It hit the spot and then off for crapes at a local pub. They were really good and was a great way to end our time in France. I felt like I got to see the "everyday" France while we were there. Driving through the French countryside, staying in a small town with no real tourist attractions and meeting Hunter's friends made for an enjoyable trip. Thanks Hunter for your hospitality and patience while were there!

Here are some random pictures I took...

I love all the front doors...

What happens in France...stays in France!

Day 7

2008-06-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a travel day. We slept in, packed up our stuff and were off to Hunter's hometown. Two tanks of gas and three toll booths later we got there.

I loved seeing the French country side.

When we got to Hunter's two room home, Art and I decided that it might be a bit cramped with five adults so we walked a few blocks to the Euro Hotel. This was quite the place with velvet furniture, statues and interesting art work. Our room had brightly colored wallpaper and a polka dot bedspread...it was just the perfect spot to spend the next two nights.

Paris by Night!

2008-06-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

We sat around the dinner table and talked until 11pm. Then Hunter got the crazy idea to tour Paris by night. We started at the Eiffel tower with the lights all aglow.

Next we drove around the Arc de Triumph! That wasn't the least bit stressful driving around a six lane roundabout at night with cars, bikes and pedestrians all around us in unmarked lanes in a rental car!

Next it was off to the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was so beautiful at night.

What a great way to see downtown Paris!

Day 6!

2008-05-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday! We woke up and ate real French toast! Except they call it day old bread and it was so good. We got ready and off to church with our new friends Farid and Martina. They led the way to their beautiful little church that met in a simple building. It was such a treat to sing songs in French and have Martina, Farid and Hunter graciously translate the message for us. After the service was over they announced to the congregation that we were from America and everyone warmly welcomed us with kisses and we even got some hard candy, that actually turned out to be cough drops, its the thought that counts. Being apart of that little church made the world seem small to me. It also made me long for heaven where we will be reunited again.

After church we stopped at a sweet, little French Bakery to buy a baguette for dinner. They sell bread until noon and then shut the doors for the day. Most of the shops were closed on Sunday so you had to be prepared for what you needed. While we were there I decided that I couldn't live without one or two of these amazing little French pastries that I found. So after choosing the perfect one I picked it up with my hands, which I learned is a big no, no there! Once the lady behind the counter saw me she marched right over and yelled at me. Hunter kindly intervened to tell her that I didn't know and that we would buy that one I had touched. She had no grace for my mistake and scowled at me while I paid. No messing with her!After a brief stop at home Fraid and Martina decided to take us out to lunch at one of their favorite spots, Flunch...French Lunch. Its a cafeteria style restaurant which was perfect for us to try a little of everything that is popular there. It was a cross between Denny's and Old Country Buffet.
After lunch we went home and rested. We decided to go on a walk around Domot. While we were out we got caught in a big rainstorm. We ran home and Hunter made us chocolate mousse and we started making dinner. It was such a beautiful day and such a treat to spend the weekend with Martina and Farid. At dinner Hunter got a wild idea to drive around Paris at night...and so we did!

The Last of Day 5!

2008-05-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

We left the Eiffel Tower and began to walk back to the metro station to catch our next train back to Domont (don't pronounce the n or the t). We found a ticket booth and asked for two tickets to Domont. The metro worker looked at us like we were crazy and asked us to show her the map. Well of course there was no Domont on the map because it was out of the city, and obviously not very well known. After giving up on getting our direct tickets there we decided to just try to figure it out. We got onto a line and quickly realized we were going to wrong way. We found another line that took us back to the main hub. We bought more tickets and found another line to take us another direction to try to connect us with the train that we wanted to be on.

The Paris Metro map!

We proceeded to do this for 3+ hours. Its not like we had cell phones to call anyone or a single soul that knew were Domont was! We finally found a kind man who knew where we were going but told us we had to wait 45 more minutes for the next train for Domont. It was dark and all the drug users started to come out so we gave up and went to a Tobacc shop and bought a calling card and a big bar of chocolate and called Hunter to come pick us up at 8:30 at night. It felt so good to go home and eat our dinner. We melted stinky cheese and poured it over potatoes with French meat, onions, pickles, corn etc. it was so good. I went to bed early that night. What an amazing day filled adventure and fun.

Thanks Kelly for joining me in Paris!

The Eiffel Tower

2008-05-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

When the Eiffel Tower was first constructed in 1889, many in the artistic community of Paris signed petitions against “…the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower.”

Originally the tower was slated to stand for only twenty years. Part of the rules of the design contest stated the structure could be taken down easily. However, by the twenty-year mark, in 1909, the tower was not only popular with tourists; it proved a valuable communication tool for radio broadcasting.

Standing 986 feet tall, the tower is constructed of 18,000 pieces of wrought iron. Every seven years it is repainted.

Despite poor acceptance during its first few years, the Eiffel Tower has been embraced by French citizens, and stands as one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
info from: The Eiffel Tower by Lori Mealey

The Eiffel tower was beautiful. We walked around the base of the tower for a long time and debated whether or not we should wait in the long line to go to the top. I let me fear of heights and my shear exhaustion from the day keep me from doing it. I thought for sure I would be sad that I didn't make myself go, but I'm not. Didn't you just read that blurb about it being built to be taken down easily? That's why I stay away from fair rides!

The most AMAZING cup of coffee!

2008-05-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

After our day of walking we decided that we needed to sit down. We found this quaint little French cafe and found a table outside under some patio heaters. We both ordered a cup of coffee with cream. This was no ordinary cup of joe...this was by far the best cup of coffee I have ever had.

Here she is in all of her rich, creamy glory and boy did she come with a price!

Here is our view from the cafe. What a wonderful place to rest. I would have been content to spend the rest of my day sitting there people watching.

As a side note I embarrassed myself at our little cafe. While having the best cup of coffee ever I also thought it would be so wonderful to have a sweet to go with that. I was really craving a big chocolate chip cookie. As our waiter was walking away from our table I called out to him if I could have a cookie. He turned around and repeated with a slightly puzzled look on his face, "a cookie?" "No we don't have any cookie." I quickly learned that the French don't eat cookies, they eat pastries. He didn't let me forget my silly question and proceeded to ask me if I wanted a cookie each time he would come by our table. So if you go to France don't ask for a cookie to eat!

2008-05-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

I feel like this picture conveys the craziness of Paris. Here you see the pedestrians, bicycles and cars moving around a 4 lane round about.

More fancy fountains.

All the high end retail shops that line the streets. We never got up the courage to actually go in. For one there was a man in a suit just waiting to open the door so I felt like we wouldn't have been able to slip in with our Northwest Keens and puffy vests on. Second it was hard to pretend like you were interested in the four racks of clothes they had in the whole shop. So we decided to be window shoppers and save our money for the pastry shop.

2008-05-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

From the Louvre we walked through the park between the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe.

Here are some pictures of our walk along the way...

More Louvre...

2008-05-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Inside the pyramid

Yes, I actually was there.

My wonderful travel companion!

The Louvre...

2008-05-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

It was hard to take in all of the artwork both displayed and in the architecture . Everywhere we turned there was something more amazing to look at.

Here is a ceiling that covers the royal treasures.

The Venus de Milo 100 B.C. The goddess of love.

The Mona Lisa 1503-6 is considered the most famous painting in the world. The people that surrounded the picture were not only looking at it, but taking their picture in front of it. I took a picture of them as well, since we all know what she looks like. It was interesting to observe the French as they would stand in front of it with no expression on their face for a photo.

The Great Sphinx, date unknown

My favorite piece was the Marriage at Cana 1562-63 depicts Christ's first miracle.

Some more of day 5...

2008-05-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

We followed the Seine as we waked through the streets of Paris...

Approaching the Louvre...

One side of the Louvre...

Proof that we were actually there...

Behind us is the controversial "Grand Louvre" project launched by President Francois Mitterand in 1981. What you think...like it or hate it?

Some of Day 5....

2008-04-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today was our day to split up, boys were going climbing in while girls went downtown Paris. We got up, got ready and the boys dropped us off at a subway station downtown.

The subway system in Paris is very different then the subway in Germany. As we walked down the hall we could see thick black mold growing on the walls and the station smelled of urine and body odor. We began to study our map and make our plans for the day.

We got off at our stop and climbed the stairs up into the beautiful city of Paris, France. We took out our map and tried to figure out where we were and where we were going. Along the way we met some young men from America that were just as lost as we were. We walked the streets together until we figured out where we were going and then ditched them.

Our first stop was Notre Dame Cathedral...

The church was so beautiful with such detail throughout. We walked into the sanctuary after hearing the church bells ring, they rang with such power and beauty. Such an amazing building to see.

More to come...

Day Four...

2008-04-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

Today was a day of travel for us. We met up with our friends Jon and Kelly at the airport. It was good to see familiar faces. We caught our plane and took a short flight to Paris, France (versus an 8 hour train ride). When we landed we picked up our rental car the Opel Zafira. Isn't she beautiful...like a mini van with four doors. It fit all of us and our luggage well so we took it.

I was the only passenger in our group over the age of 25 so I got the honor of driving. Lets just say the rules of driving are slightly different there. We were lost in no time. After driving round and round Paris we decided to stop at one recognizable store...IKEA! We just needed some lunch and map and we would be on our way. When we got there we decided to walk around before going in and the Lord lead us to the perfect store. I don't remember the name of it but it was like a Barnes and Nobles, it had lunch and maps! We were able to buy what we needed and we were off to Domont, the small town where we were meeting Hunter. The best part about driving in Paris was that we would be driving on a highway and then it would turn into a residential street and then it would turn into an alley all the while being the "main road." Somehow we managed to find Domont and we couldn't be happier.

Once in Domont we had to stop at a Pharmacy to ask for directions to the townhouses were Hunter's friends lived. When we found them we realized that we didn't have their home number. We also had no cell phone to contact Hunter. Art tried yelling Hunters name, which of course didn't work. The boys even tried knocking on some doors, but still no luck. So, then we got back into the car and went to go find a calling card. You buy those at Tabbac shops, like a gas station without the gas. When we finally found one a very nice man let Jon use his cell phone and we were able to contact Hunter and get the number of the house. We all got back into the car and drove back to the where their house was and found Hunter standing outside waiting for us. We were so glad to see him! We unloaded the car and Hunter took Jon and Kelly out for groceries while Art and I took a nap. When they returned we began to make dinner. Hunter made a French dinner with potatoes, onions, radishes, tomato paste and carrots go over the top of couscous and a spicy red sauce that goes over the top. We ate our meal with baguette and red wine. It was so good. After dinner we met Hunter's friends Farid and his wife Martina. They were very kind to let us stay in their home. After dinner we ate yogurt for dessert and the french traditionally have cheese and coffee afterward. It was fun to be with friends and to meet new ones.

Day Three...

2008-04-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Our day started at 3:00 am, that’s what happens when you take an 8-hour nap the day before. We both laid in bed a couple more hours and then decided that 5 am was an acceptable hour to get up. We got ready, ate at the hotel and were on our way to Dachau Concentration Camp. Before we left our hotel we asked the lady at the hotel for directions to the Dachau (Dow-chow is how we pronounced it) and she looked at us for a few seconds and then asked with a puzzled expression Dachau (Dock-ow)? We realized that we needed to work on our throaty German pronunciation. "Ja, Ja" we both agreed and she explained the directions that we needed to take us there. More subway and bus adventures until we stopped at the small town of Dachau.

We arrived as they were opening the front gates and began our journey through the first concentration camp ever built in Germany. We entered the camp through the same gate that the prisoners entered as they stepped off the trains.

We made our way through the camp to the main building where the kitchen was, the guards worked and lived and also where they checked in the prisoners as they arrived. The building had been turned into a museum explaining the history of the Nazi regime. There was so much to read and take in, but one political poster that stood out to me read, “Hitler is our only hope” these kinds of posters were used to persuade the people to vote for Hitler. I was amazed to learn that he used force to get his way into office and was never really chosen by the people.

The museum also highlighted the individual stories of different Jewish prisoners, along with Jehovah Witnesses, homosexuals, immigrants, and those willing to challenge the Nazis government that were put into prison here. Each face and story was so different. One Jewish woman's comment really struck me, as she was walking back to her bunker she caught the eyes of an old woman looking out through a window. She said she stopped and looked at her with great sadness at how dead she looked and as she began to walk away she looked back and realized that she was looking at a reflection of herself.

Another interesting note they called these camps, re-education and re-training centers so that the people wouldn't question what was happening behind the camp walls.

As we finished walking through the museum we watched a 25-minute video with live footage of camp life. It was disturbing to see the piles of bodies left on the train cars and in piles under snow. The camps filled so quickly and the killings so numerous that they couldn't dispose of the bodies fast enough so they began to stay in piles around the camp and with a shortage of coal they had to bury the dead in shallow graves. There were only 32,000-recorded deaths at Dachau but there is believed to be thousands more.

After the movie was over we walked out to the barracks and saw the sleeping quarters and ‘common area’. The camp was built to house around 6,000 inmates and when the US came into the camp in 1945 there were over 30,000 men, woman and children living there. We ended our tour of the camp with the crematorium. Art and I got to stand inside a gassing chamber.

I was so overwhelmed at how the camp was built and sustained on fear. The words “May We Never Forget” were written across the gates of the camp as we left.

This was something I have always wanted to see. It was a powerful reminder for me that I need to pray for the Jewish people.

After such a heavy morning we decided to go out for a brat and beer at an open market. We people watched and processed our time at the camp together. After lunch we decided to go see the Beer Museum, which none of the information was in English so we made it up as we went. We then went to our first of many large, old churches. This was St. Peter’s Church in Munich. They had many painting depicting Peter’s death upside down on the cross. There was a lot of gold in the sanctuary and a thick haze of incense burned through out. It was a very beautiful church.

We decided that we needed a nap; we had been up since 3 am. After a good rest we woke up and were ready for another meal and a fun night in a beer hall. We found this great, old restaurant that had a very busty waitress who helped us find a table to share with eight old German men. They were obviously trying to solve the world’s problems over their beer and eyed us when we sat down at their table. Art ordered 8 brats and kraut and I ordered a crispy pork meal. When they brought out our food all the men stopped and stared at me with big eyes and a smile, I did not realized I ordered a German's man’s meal, equivalent to our steak and potatoes. I could not finish my four pieces of pork and dumplings but I sure tried. It was so good! We left there and I tried to talk Art into going to a new beer hall but it was of the questions and back to HB for us. More beer, friends and making merry!

Day Two!

2008-03-31T16:22:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to Europe! It felt so good when we finally landed and stretched our cramped legs. We walked through the airport to the subway to figure out how to buy our tickets. In Germany they don't have any ticket counters where you can talk to someone, its all on your honor. Well we had no idea what ticket we should buy or where we were going. So Art and I stood at the machine for a good 30 minutes reading the maps and directions in our Rick Steve's book. With serious exhaustion setting in Art became frustrated as to which ticket to buy. I knew we probably weren't going to figure it out on our own so I prayed for God's help. Sure enough a man walked up to us with a ticket for an all day pass for two adults for the subway that he didn't need anymore. We thankfully accepted and thanked God for providing just what we needed. We found time again that the German people were the most friendly and helpful of anywhere we went.

After we got our ticket situation figured out we took the subway into town, it was about a 45 minute ride. We got off at the main train station/downtown stop. We walked outside into the freezing cold air. That was something I didn't expect was snow! We decided to go drop off our bags at our hotel and see what clothes we could find to layer up with. We talked to the lady at the hotel, Stephanie who was very kind and spoke English very well. She must have understood how tired we were because she told us to come back at 9:00 am and our room would be ready. Those were the words I was hoping to hear! This would give us enough time for a quick breakfast and a little exploring around the beautiful city of Munich.

We ditched our stuff and went to go find breakfast. We had potatoes, eggs and sausage on our minds. As we began to walk around we quickly realized that there wasn't any breakfast restaurants anywhere downtown. The longer we walked the hungrier we got so we gave up and went into a small cafe type place that sold felafels. At that point we didn't care what we were eating. Who would have thought that we would fly half way across the world and our first meal would be a felafels in Germany! We did get odd glances through the window from the people walking by, but we didn't care and scarfed down our weird breakfast and were off for some exploring. We found a cute department store that was warm and open (it was 8 am by this point). Something we discovered in Europe is stores don't keep early hours, most things we found open at 10:00 am or later. So in we went to the open C & A store to look at all the cute clothes. I wanted to buy up a bunch of cute shirts but we only had our backpacks and I knew the more I bought the more I would have to haul around the rest of our three weeks. So I only browsed. I did decide that if I found a hat or a scarf that I would buy it so I could stay warm. That's another thing we found that Germans don't do is hats, even if it freezing outside no one had a practical scarf or hat on. So no luck finding anything to keep us warm. We did a little downtown site seeing and then it was finally time to go back to our hotel to check in. We decided that we were going to take a quick nap and be on our way to find fun stuff to do today. We laid down and set the alarm.

Art and I made the classic travel mistake of sleeping on our regular schedule instead of making ourselves stay up. So when we woke up 8.5 hours later we were both shocked! We had slept the whole day away!

We took a shower and realized it was time for dinner. We decided to go to Hafbrauhaus or affectionately known as HB and eat brats and drink beer. We took the subway, we were pros at this point, and walked through the dark streets. Germany is beautiful, I loved seeing all of the Bavarian architecture everywhere. We found HB and sat down overwhelmed at all of the people, the music and singing! We found a spot near the band and I ordered what I knew, brats of course. Art went bold and picked something with the word original in it. Out came our beer, it was bigger then our heads!

Next came our meal and mine was just what I was hoping for, Art on the other had got a sandwich with three types of baloney! Not what he was hoping for! Poor guy, so I shared with him some of mine. At the end of every other song the band would play a song and everyone would sing allegiance to the queen. We had so much fun. We stayed long into the night meeting people from all of the world. Our favorite were to Aussies that were there on business. They shared all of their favorite German tips and places to visit. They also invited us to come down and visit them. We had a lot of fun together!

I couldn't drink my beer as fast as Art could, there was just so much!

Day One!

2008-03-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Our day started at 2:30 am! We did sleep for a few hours before we got up, got ready and hit the road. We drove to Andrew's house in Seattle and he graciously dropped us off at the airport at 4:30 am! We both had butterflies in our stomach. We went through security with ease and climbed aboard our first flight to Chicago.

I have been praying for this trip since we bought our tickets. I prayed that God would be in control of every detail of this journey. While we were in the air ready to land in Chicago our captain informed us that the radar on the ground was broken and that we were looking at least an hour wait of circling and circling the area. I don't mind flying but I knew we had a 12 hour flight ahead of us and the last thing I wanted was another hour stuck in a plane so close to our destination. I asked the Lord if he would be willing to fix the radar so that we could land. In his grace, not five minutes later the captain came on to inform us that the radar had been fixed to every ones surprise and we were next to land. The Lord is so good and is involved in every detail of our lives. This encouraged and excited me for the next three weeks to watch and see how He would continue to be in control.

We had a layover in Chicago and decided to get a Chicago dog (of course) and stretch out our legs. We boarded our flight on a German airline. This was the greatest plane to spend the next 12 hours on. We each had our own TV with 10 different movie options. We were served two meals and any type of beverage we wanted for free. We each got our own pillow, blanket and face mask...this was going to be perfect for us to sleep away at least half of our flight, except we couldn't! Both of us were wide awake with nervous anticipation and it didn't help that it was two in the afternoon our time. So instead we enjoyed our movies and fancy beverages! Munich here we come!

Our journey together...

2008-03-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

The Lims are home! After 23 days of traveling, 4 flights and jet lag we are back to our life as normal in Bellingham. While in Europe I kept a journal of our travels there. I decided that I would share some of that along with SOME of the 700 pictures we took. We both loved our time there and cant wait to share!

Piano Moving

2008-02-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

We found someone who wanted to take our piano. So last week it was out with the old and in with the new!

Here is Maddie and Taylor "helping" with the piano moving.

Our new piano!

Friends...

2008-02-24T09:01:00.001-08:00

We had our good friend Josh come and stay with us this weekend, and his girlfriend Tara joined us for pizza making and guitar hero!

Art has an amazing gift for video games and especially guitar hero. I actually caught my husband in Best Buy playing it with a bunch of middle school kids. I think I might have to get him one for his birthday. I on the other hand cant seem to figure out the whole hand eye coordination, but I did receive the most improved award!

Here are some fun pictures of us rocking out...

Josh is serious about being a rock star!

Tara rocking out!

I love Sundays!

2008-02-12T15:54:00.001-08:00

We decided that in our family we want to try to honor the Sabbath by keeping our Sundays free from chores or activities. This gives us one day of total rest and rejuvenation for the rest of our week. We have felt challaged to get our house work and errands done on Saturday so we can take Sundays to spend time with people we love.

Last Sunday we went to our friends Josh and Bekah's house to eat, play, talk and rest and it was so wonderful. Here are some pictures of our great day.

Solomon and Annabelle

Baby hugs!

Belle practicing being a mama!

Guitar hero....go Kristen!
See Belle dancing? She loves music.

Free Piano...

2008-02-09T15:49:00.001-08:00

We are getting a new piano and giving this one away...let me know if you want it :)

Friends!

2008-02-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

Annie and Mary...so cute!

Eva's new friend Lily...

Annie and Brie boxing on the wii...so fun!

New Baby!

2008-01-31T13:47:00.001-08:00

My cousin Elizabeth had a beautiful baby boy yesterday! He is 9lbs 2 oz, 21inches tall and was born at 8:13 in the morning. Isnt he so cute! I cant wait to meet him.

Happy Birthday!

2008-01-26T13:01:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Holly!
We took Holly out to a yummy dinner to Lemon Grass (Yes, I did actually find something I kind of like at that restaurant :) and then out to Poppes. We had so much fun laughing and celebrating our favorite Holly B!

Adventures with Claire!

2008-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Our good friends are spending the weekend in Victoria and we get to babysit their baby. Claire is such a funny little dog. She is so little but has such a big personality. She loves to run from room to room and then she falls on the carpet and instantly falls asleep. Claire is definitely the boss in our house. Yesterday when I put out their dinner Claire made it clear that Eva would wait until she was done...even though there was two bowls of food! Eva so submissively listens, and then looks at us with eyes that say why is she here? When Claire gets in her running spurts Eva tries to herd her back to her bed. They are keeping us very entertained. It almost makes me want a little dog...but Art said "no" :)

Eva and Claire waiting for the mailman!

Here is Claire passed out on the carpet!

My New Ladies Group...

2008-01-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this book with some of the most wonderful woman I know in Bellingham. We decided to start a small group of ladies who desire to study God's word on marriage. My wonderful neighbor and friend is leading our group. We met for the first time last night and it was so encouraging to see all of us together in one room sharing and encouraging each other. I personally hope to walk away from this time with a better understanding of service and care toward my husband and household. I also desire to have a joyful heart with all that God has called me to do. The best part is that I am not alone in this adventure and now I have these beautiful women by my side to encourage me along the way as we grow and learn.

Oh my...

2008-01-11T22:30:00.001-08:00

When I came home from my early morning work out I found this in my bed...

She has a hard life!

Europe!

2008-01-11T13:28:00.001-08:00

The Lims are going to Europe! Germany, Switzerland, France, and Italy. We have our tickets, passports and our dog sitter and thats only the begining. Yesterday I bought our guide books, five of them! We have so much reading to do.

Art decided that we were going to specialize in a country. So he picked Italy, I picked South Germany and Switzerland and Hunter gets France!

What is Real Food?

2008-01-02T08:26:00.000-08:00

I'm reading this very thought provoking book by Nina Planck. Chicken with skin, potatoes with butter and milk --is this the diet that nature intended? I hope so because I love eating real food!

Here is an interesting study that she follows: In 1939, a Canadian dentist named Weston Price published "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration," a work of nutritional anthropology that purported to show why isolated cultures had no tooth decay and less arthritis, diabetes, cancer and heart disease than people living in industrialized nations. All 12 communities that Price studied - including dairy farmers in Switzerland's Loetschental Valley, Maoris in New Zealand and Indians in Peru - had one thing in common: They ate whole foods uncontaminated by sugar, refined flour or hydrogenated oils. Its an interesting read. As I learn more I will share more.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

This year we went to a Fondue and Bunko party for New Years and it was a lot of fun. We ate and ate everything from traditional fondue to chocolate fondue. It was all so good and such a great way to ring in the new year with our friends!

Me, Kristen, Anne Marie, Holly and Krisit, of course we ate all of that food...and more!

Buddies!

Why are all of these men in the kitchen...oh wait food and beer!

Happy 2008! We hope the new year is full of Christ's love and blessings!

Lots of rest...

2007-12-29T21:02:00.001-08:00

While visiting in Port Orchard we had lots of rest and relaxation...

The Drive

2007-12-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

We started out our trip to Port Orchard on Saturday morning. It was a clear and beautiful day on the east side of the state and as we got closer to the pass the snow began to fall and so did the driving abilities of those around us.

We made it home safely and were glad to get off the road!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-29T16:49:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a trip around the state. It was so wonderful to see our family and friends. I love visiting people we love. Here are a few pictures of the event...

Eva got the first gift of the night...a fish!

My little brother and his new Dwight bobble head!

We gave my mom some photos of us taken in Bellingham this summer.

My bonus dad opening up his gift.

We had such a wonderful time in Spokane. We got to see our dear friends and eat way to much food, go skiing and sleep in. We look forward to our next visit soon.