The Vidler Experience

Listen in on an interview I did with one of Bring Me Hope's most beloved families!!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The tibits of a busy life :)

Sorry that I have been somewhat absent from this blog lately! I've been busy...uh, "washing my hair" and such... ;)

In all reality, life has been rather full lately. I moved back to Pennsylvania (for those who are still wondering...It's been months home and yet I'm asked on a weekly basis where I am...lol.)

It's a season full of lots of different part-time things...I'm working at a preschool with kids who make life so much more enjoyable. Every day after working there, I'm full of funny stories. :)

When I'm not with those kiddos, I spend a lot of time babysitting 'my' neighborhood children. My block has so many families with young ones, and I feel like we're a great big family sometimes. :) When I walk my dog and the school bus is bringing everyone home, I hear lots of knocks on windows and see little hands waving from nearly every section of the bus. It's so sweet... :)

Photography is keeping me busy as well. It's been such a fun passion to pursue. Currently, I'm in the process of switching over this blog to another one more focused on photography. You can visit it here: http://www.kristenchasephotography.blogspot.com/

Also, I've been working part time for Bring Me Hope again...I couldn't stay away too long! haha It's been so fulfilling to keep my hands in the work they are doing for Chinese orphans, and it's a blessing to keep up with my goofy bunch of Californian friends. :)

Tomorrow is my birthday...Thank you Jesus for all the life and blessing you have given to me. At times it's been a rocky road, and other times I feel astonished that I get to live the life I live. It's all a journey I suppose... :)

Today I was mentioning to one of the children I babysit that tomorrow is my birthday. She thought for a minute then asked what year I was born. I told her, "1986." She said, "No Miss.Krissie...what YEAR were you born in? ... Like, 2001, 2003...?" I told her the year I was born in again and she just couldn't wrap her mind around that long ago! haha Oh well, it made me laugh even if I am getting older... ;)

All for now,
kc

I'm Moving Soon!

...Come with me! :)

Stop to smile :)

Febuary felt like Autumn today (though it's back to snowing as I write this :)

I took my girls out for a photo shoot this afternoon, and they did so great. Here are some pics from our session, and I'll put more on flickr soon.

Sam says it best

This is by far the best quote on legalism that I have ever heard. It's a little lengthy, but take a minute to read it aloud and I trust it will encourage you. :)

"There are people, professing Christian people, who are determined to bring you under their religious thumb. They are bent on making you a slave of their conscience. They have built a tidy religious box, without biblical justification, and strive to stuff you inside and make you conform to it's dimensions. They are legalists, and their tools are guilt, fear, intimidation, and self-righteousness. They proclaim God's unconditional love for you, but insist on certain conditions before including you among the accepted, among the approved elite, among God's favored few.

"I'm not talking about people who insist you obey certain laws or moral rules in order to be saved. Such people aren't legalists. They are lost! They are easily identified and rebuffed. I'm talking about Christian legalists whose goal is to enforce conformity among other Christians in accordance with their personal preferences. These are life-style legalists. They threaten to rob you of joy and to squeeze the intimacy out of your relationship with Jesus. They may even lead you to doubt your salvation. They heap condemnation and contempt on your head so that your life is controlled and energized by fear rather than freedom and joy and delight in God.

"I suspect that some of you are...the victims of legalism. You live in fear of doing something that another Christian considers unholy, even though the Bible is silent on the subject. You are terrified of incurring their disapproval, disdain, and ultimate rejection. Worse still, you fear God's rejection for violating religious traditions or cultural norms that have no basis in Scripture but are prized by the legalist. You have been duped into believing that the slightest misstep or mistake will bring down God's disapproval and disgust.

"When you are around other Christians, whether in the church or at a home group or just hanging out, do you feel free? Does your spirit feel relaxed or oppressed? Do you sense their acceptance or condemnation? Do you feel judged, inadequate, inferior, guilty, immature, all because of your perceived failure to conform to what someone else regards as "holy"? Jesus wants to set you free from such bondage! As Paul said, "You were called to freedom!"
-Sam Storms

you can do anything! :)

my computer has been telling me it feels very full lately, so i've been trying to move some old pictures onto disks. while working on that, i found some fantastic vids from a chinese acrobat show a group of us went to in Beijing, summer of 2007!

after watching this, just think...whatever it is in your life you feel like you can't do, you can! :)

Why Kids are often the Best of People...

"Dear Kristen,

I love you to God and back!

Love, Abby" :)

winter wonderland

Just a few shots from my photo shoots yesterday. Doesn't snow make winter amazing?!

More photos are on my flickr site, and please let me know if you're interested in a personal session! Don't be intimidated by the cold! Children are precious all times of year. ;)

Putting Away the Calendar

What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?... Check the clock? Pull the covers over your head and want to go back to sleep? Start thinking of your agenda for the day?

If you're like me, maybe it's all of the above. Yet often it's my list of to-do's that finally motivates me to get out of bed. ;)

Today I was thinking a lot about how planning obsessed I can be...And what for?? Really, stop and think about it. Why in the world do we worry and whine about if this or that will work out in our lives?

I definitely feel in a time of transition, more than I would prefer or consider to be comfortable. I have a lot of prayers about my future being offered up to God, and I'm trying to do my part to be diligent in pursing what opportunities this big bad world might have for me. But with that said, I want to get back to living for the day. It's what Jesus would want too...

And there are so many blessings that each day holds. To get in the spirit of my renewed mindset, here are some of the best things about today: Doing a Photo Shoot for some friends in the snow, Taking a walk with my dog and my neighbor's little boy, Having some nice talks and meals with Mom on our day off, and Chatting with a long distance friend on the phone. Good thing tomorrow is a new day full of new memories!!!

Chains be Broken. Lives be Healed. Eyes be Opened. Christ is Revealed.

"I have decided, I have resolved to wait upon the Lord. My Rock and Redeemer, Shield and Reward. I wait upon You Lord. As surely as the sun will rise, You will come to us. As certain as the dawn appears, You'll come..." ~Hillsong

[ Special Moments, Lasting Memories ]

Christmas in California

It took 5 long days to get out of Chicago to San Diego. But the way I look at it, a travel situation like that will probably (aka "hopefully") never happen again... And, I was able to get a nice reimbursement for my airplane ticket. Sweeet! Thank you Jesus!

As for California, wow, I don't know where to begin...

My week and a half spent there was so full and packed, in the best possible way. Looking back, I'm not sure how I kept going at such a busy pace, but I'm glad I did because now I'm home with loads of new memories...

Some highlights from the trip...

* Being reunited with so many dear friends on New Year's Eve * Meeting new friends from all over the states and Canada * Our winter retreat in the breath-taking mountains (at 6,000 ft!) * Times of worship together * Dancing! Lots of dancing... :) * Good conversations by the fire * Laughing very hard with friends * California Sunshine * Making snowmen and having snowball fights in the mountains * Knowing I will see my beautiful friends again *

Ironies of all ironies, my flight from San Diego to Philadelphia was cancelled on Wednesday morning. That's where my amazing Dad who works in the airline industry comes in yet again. He got me on another flight safe and sound. Love you Daddy! ;)

It's supposed to snow here tomorrow. I just bought a used pair of Columbia snow pants today for 7 bucks, and I'm looking forward to using them. But I'm sure I'll be thinking of my friends I spent these last few weeks with and our time together. I'll admit it's really hard adjusting to not being around so many people. I can't wait for heaven. :)

Love you all,
kristen

I Promise

...to update soon. And by soon, I mean by today or tomorrow. ;) Life has been a little busy.

Until then,
k

Surprise 5 Day Trip to Chicago

My oh my, life is a wild ride!!

I left my house in Pennsylvania on Friday morning with a simple plan: Take a short flight to Chicago, have a 2 hour layover, then fly to San Diego for 2 weeks of fun, friends, and sun.

Instead, today is my fourth day straight in the Windy City. And it actually began in misery...

When I arrived Chicago, I went to the gate where I would catch my next flight to San Diego. The airport was so crowded, and I was anticipating separating myself from the massive groups of people around me. 1 hour later they announced a delay, and all went down hill from there. The delay for my flight grew longer, and the Chicago sun was setting. Then, the worst news came: my flight was cancelled. I was struck with panic.

After waiting in long lines to get re-booked on another flight and a failed attempt to pick up my checked bag along with the crowd of hundreds, I found myself lying uncomfortably on an airport cot eagerly awaiting the morning when I could leave the airport. But unfortunately, my next flight canceled as well. My heart dropped.

The insane crowd, news cameras,and pessimistic flight schedules on the boards made me want to give up. I decided to call my friend Bonnie who lives in Chicago. If I didn't reach her,I was ready to make myself comfy in a hotel room for a while...anything to get out of the airport.

In an amazing act of kindness, Bonnie answered her phone(in the very am on a Saturday morning) and picked me up at the airport. I have been staying with her and her family until I leave on my re-booked flight to San Diego tomorrow.

My friends have shown me such kindness. They are AMAZING! And our time seeing Chicago has been so FUN! (This city was on the top of my "to visit" list!) God is so good. Who knew this situation would turn out to be filled with such great memories?!


Bonnie and I visiting "The Bean"...It's one of the coolest things ever!! :D



Full shot of the bean!



We walked to the Sear's Tower (one of the tallest buildings in the world!)It was soo cold that we were laughing so hard because we were so numb!



You can see the train on stilts...one of my favorite things about this city :)



Here's the Griff man!! He really likes to eat and cuddle...and watch TV...:)



Bonnie and I took a little ride on the Train on stilts today...We saw some really pretty sites, but Bonnie's was by far the new Trump Tower(Back Left)...You can ask her about it someday if you'd like. I'm sure she won't get tired of talking about it.;)



"We were bad...like P-H-A-T." -Anonymous (aka Bonnie)




One last funny conversation...

Bonnie: You know, Picasso made that statue right there. Gary, can you look up that statue that Picasso made?
Gary: Sure...
(Meanwhile)
(Speaking like art afficiandos) Kristen: Where is Picasso from? Isn't he from Italy? (Kind of arrogantly) That's just a guess...
Bonnie: Yeah, I think he was Italian, so he probably lived in Italy...
Gary: PABLO Picasso was born in Spain. He was SPANISH...PABLO! It wasn't "Tony Picasso"...It was PABLO.

.......Five minutes later after we're laughing about the previous conversation.......

Gary (on his laptop): ...HOLY COW, that thing weighs more than THE BEAN!!!

......From a previous conversation three days ago.....

Gary (still on his laptop): Yeah...Bon Jovi is from New Jersey...(sigh...)
(long pause)Hum...Bob Saget is from Philadelphia!....And Joey Laurence, Kevin Bacon, Peter Boyle........AND TELLER!!

(PS) The Bean = 110 (short) tons!
Picasso's Mystery Statue in front of ultra-large Chicago Christmas tree and where Rob Blagojevich is going to be tried = 162 tons!

(PSS) On this trip, I have seen more (lookalike) celebrities than ever before. Just imagine...The Olsen Twin's Sister ( I don't really know what she looks like, but if they had a sister, this is what she'd look like)...Orlando Bloom...John Mayer...and Rick Steves (from PBS Travel Show). Bonnie wanted to have a special dinner and invite all my friends. ;)

'Ello again... :)

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope today was really special for you all. :)

It has been a relaxing day here at our house. Besides having yummy meals together and giving each other some special gifts, the highlight of the day was taking our dog over to a nearby nursing home to visit the patients there. My Dad organized our time there, and it was such a great memory. Seems like what Christmas should be about; loving one another.

Well, the good news is that I'm headed out to CA in tomorrow morn. :) The bad news is...I just began packing about an hour ago. Christmas is just too busy of a time to think of much else! haha

I'm really anticipating my time out there...good friends, the beach, time away at a retreat, warm(er) weather...what could be better before starting a new year? I smiled when I saw these perdictions on weather.com:

Tue, Dec 30 - Mostly Sunny, 70°
Wed, Dec 31 - Mostly Sunny, 70°
Thu, Jan 1 - Mostly Sunny, 70°
Fri, Jan 2 -Mostly Sunny, 70°

As strange as it sounds, I look forward to some undivided time on the airplane to catch up on journaling and reading... :)Please pray for safe travels.

Anyhow, hope you have a great time between Christmas and New Years!

All the best,
Kristen

Just Because I Can't Forget...

I can't tell you how great it is to be home in Pennsylvania. Spending time with kids in my preschool class or in my neighborhood brings so much life into my world!

But I'll never forget China, the people I love there, and my friends who continue to help the cause. Please don't be done using me there Lord...

Few have said it better...

"Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer."

What A SURPRISE!

Good Morning Snow!! ...In November?! :D

Yesterday we were graced with snow flurries, and the 2 year olds in my preschool class couldn't be happier. Little did we know what we would wake up to this morning!

A few friends and I had plans to go to Lancaster for a nice breakfast this morning, yet we improvised after it took us a few hours to get to West Chester alone! That's not even mentioning all the slipping, sliding, usage of the emergency break, and all the other exciting driving adventures this morning.

Thank goodness we were all safe, and we ended up having a good time at the West Chester Diner. And though I didn't spend time with my preschool class today, I can just image how they must have run around all day saying, "It's SNOWING!!!" :D

Up Up and Away!

This here is my "pseudo sister," Mia. She is 10 now, but in this picture she was about 4 years old and we were spending the day at a fair together.

As we stood watching some kids rock climb, I noticed that the balloon tied to Mia's small wrist made her arm float up! I giggled, and asked Mia about it. She smiled sheepishly and consciously put her arm down. We continued watching the rock climbers, and as M concentrated on the kids, up went her arm again!

It had to be one of the cutest things ever, and this is definitely one of my favorite pictures of all time. :)

~k

I Have Decided...

...There are many ways I can finish this phrase...

I Have Decided...

..."To become an astronaut." :)
Which is not true, but it sure lightens up a conversation when people ask me what I want to do next in life.

..."To get rid of my Facebook account." Which is true. After a few months of using it, I couldn't find much uplifting or encouraging about it, but only a tendency to compare. So, I chucked it, and am glad I did. :)

..."That I am going to be updating this blog less now." This was my original "I Have decided" statement (but I got sidetracked, haha.) Anyhow, truth be told, now that I'm home in PA, I don't feel the same urgency to try and stay connected with my friends and supporters about what I'm up to or where I am like I have this past year. Hopefully my relationships here can be more face to face (or at least phone to phone or email to email) now that I have a bit more time on my hands and am not as mobile as I was before.

I do plan to post updates, stories, pictures, and videos every so often (as I'm always surprised when someone new tells me they read my blog,) but I'm also going to be focusing more on my photography page, which you can access by clicking on the photo at the top left of this page. :)

I trust you understand why I'll be on blogspot a little less these upcoming days, and I have appreciated your support and comments so much, especially when I was overseas!! :)

Now, last but not least, I want to leave you with this really adorable video that I think represents relationships pretty candidly (and accurately, depending on the day, ha! :)



Enjoy the blustry day (if you're on the east coast!!)

Love,
kristen