Big head, little arms...

My friend Nate showed a group of us this clip after a rough day in China in last summer, and now it's one of my favorite things to watch on a stressful day...So in case you're having one of those days today too, this is for you. ;)

You know you live in Southern California when...

Some friends of ours who moved from PA to CA sent this list out in their last Christmas Card last year (plus I added a few things too!) I thought I'd post it to give you a picture of what my life is like here...

You know you live in Southern California when...

~You own both summer flip flops and winter flip flops.

~You get cold at 70 degrees.

~You know the difference between flautas, taquitos, gorditas, and carne asada.

~You think that $3.75 for a gallon of gas is a bargain!

~"No Shirt, No Shoes, No Worries!" is a common sign outside many restaurants.

~Half of your radio stations are in Spanish.

~Your winter coat is a sweatshirt.

~The Terminator is your governor.

~Your house is half the size and cost twice as much!

~The weather man calls a few inches of rain "a really bad storm!"

~Road side signs warn of illegal alien crossings rather than deer (the sign shows a picture of a family holding hands while fleeing!)

~90% of the restaurants around are Mexican.

~Avocado comes on everything - and that seems normal now.

~You start saying "for sure."

~If you get hungry, instead of driving to the market, you can go outside and pick fruit off of the tree.

~You stop reading the weather page in the newspaper because everyday is the same. :)

My parental unit came to town

Last week my Mom & Dad came for a visit to Fallbrook! I took a few days off work so we could spend some time together, and they also explored the area by themselves too...

They got to see places like Coronado Island and Palomar Mountain. Mom & I even went horseback riding one morning. But my favorite memories from the trip were the simplest things...falling asleep in the car by the ocean...having dinner at Pizza Hut when we were all feeling really goofy...and just laughing and catching up about life. It was such a blessing...

Wow, how cute are they...

I heard God today...

I heard God on my walk today.

As I rounded the corner towards the office, I heard a voice whisper my name.

I froze for a second and looked around. I must have just heard the voice in my head. But then I heard it again, and this time for sure...

"Psst, Kristen!" I looked around again but didn't see a soul. My mind jumped to the next logical thing... "God? Is that you?" I wondered. It would be so cool if I heard God's voice!

Then I saw my friend David hiding behind a tree. His bright red sweatshirt instantly gave his location away.

I rolled my eyes now realizing what I thought was God's voice was my friend's, encouraging me to hide somewhere from our other co-worker...

I hid behind the office for a few minutes, but nothing was happening. So I peaked my head around the corner to see Christy, the one we were hiding from, just sitting out front waiting instead of looking for us. LoL. Our plan didn't exactly work as we thought, but it gave us all a good laugh! :)

God even cares about Frappucinos...

Working for Bring Me Hope has made me think in a "Big Picture" kind of way. At the office we usually talk about things like planning summer camps, speaking tours, and concerts that reach hundreds.

The good thing about that is we expect and watch God do amazing things. Yet the downside is that I can forget that God is in the smallest of details too...

The whole day yesterday I was completely distracted by my craving for a frappucino. The thought of getting one had been on my mind (and stomach) for about a week, so yesterday I decided I was going to stop by Starbuck's in the afternoon.

Then out of nowhere my friend Patti popped in the office and said, "Hey guys! I'm making frappucinos and wanted to know if anyone wants one..." I couldn't believe it! Patti often comes by and treats us with goodies, but this this was the first time she offered us frappucinos!

I was so encouraged by Patti's friendship (and the frappucino she made me,) but I was even more blessed that God orchestrated that whole thing just to bless me. Only He knew how that would brighten my day, and it was a good reminder for me to realize how many other "small things" God is totally in the midst of... :)

~K