Our Bucket List Date Night

Last weekend, my husband and I were able to go out for our monthly date night. Since I put the idea for each month in an envelope before Christmas, I am having a hard time remembering what is inside each envelope, which makes it a bit of surprise for me to!

13_Feb_February Date Night_001_edit

On my Facebook page, I asked my friends to chime in with the favorite local restaurant. I was looking for something new and different. My friends did not disappoint us! We received some wonderful suggestions and decided to try a small family-owned Italian restaurant. So off we went with our paper and my camera to give this place a try.

We were greeted with a hug at the door! They made us feel like family!

Once we placed our order, Kev opened the envelope to see what our date task would be…create bucket lists! Time to dream! With our red pieces of paper and sharpies, we started writing down some dreams:

• trip to Europe
• drive down Highway One in a convertible Porsche
• own a BMW M3
• take a class at the Culinary Institute

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As each course of our dinner came, we would eat and continue to write down some dream items on our lists.

• work for Disney
• go on a Compassion trip
• race a car in a vintage autocross race
• have all the camera equipment I would ever need

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Each course was so amazing and delicious. We continued to eat our dinner and write down our dreams.

• bobsledding
• own and fly my own airplane
• own Apple stock
• have a work from home job with Compassion

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We decided early on that we will be visiting this restaurant again soon!

• own original artwork from a Disney artist
• spend a couple of nights at the Ahwahnee in Yosemite

At one point during our dinner, our gracious hostess invited us back to the kitchen.

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We began to wonder if they thought we were food/restaurant critics since we had been taking notes and taking pictures :)

• visit the Louvre
• have a vacation home by the beach

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I know this is not the best picture of the two of us. The picture is a little out of focus and I only had the 50mm lens with me which is a manual focus lens. But we had a really nice time talking and dreaming and enjoying some amazing food that night.

What is on your bucket list?

Capture Your 365

Time for another week of photos!

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ISO 100, 50mm, f/3.2, 1/30 sec

Day 38: Use Your Senses – homemade granola bars, fresh from the oven

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ISO 400, 50mm, f/3.5, 1/4 sec

Day 39: More Than One – paper hearts hanging from the mantle for Valentine’s Day

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ISO 400, 50mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec

Day 40: Through The Looking Glass – self-portrait day, didn’t really want to take a picture of myself using the mirror in my bathroom, so out came the tri-pod! I used the self-timer on this one and thought it would be fun to capture a little bit of who I am in this one.

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ISO 400, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/25 sec

Day 42: Entertain – winter time is such a great time for a cup of tea!

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ISO 100, 50mm, f/1.8, 1/2500 sec

Day 43: Celebrate – so thankful that I live in California where we are able to experience an earlier spring. Which means that summer is not too far away! :)

What have you photographed this past week?

Share your bread with the hungry

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uZV90fsoCY?rel=0] Soon after I became an advocate with Compassion, I read 58:Fast Living: How The Church Will End Extreme Poverty by Scott Todd. It was an eye-opening book for me because as Christians, we have always heard the verse, “The poor you will always have with you” – Matthew 26:11. I love Dr. Todd’s explanation of this verse. Do you have 10 minutes? I encourage you to take time to watch this video above. Go ahead, I’ll wait :)

One of the challenges that is presented on the Live58 web site is to do our part to fast, pray, and give to end extreme poverty. Did you watch the video? Do you believe we can do this in our lifetime? With the help of other Christians in our nation, I know it is possible.

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?” – Isaiah 58:6-7

Will you prayerfully consider sharing your bread with a hungry child today?

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You can…Change The Story!

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/56554209 w=500&h=281]

Short Main Video from Compassion International on Vimeo.

As a Compassion sponsor, one of the things you can do at least once a year is share your love for this ministry with your local church family. Each year in the spring, Compassion gives us the materials and opportunity to share how sponsoring a child not only impacts that child’s life, but your life as well.

Right now on the Compassion Sunday website, you can view video testimonials, order a free planning guide, read facts about poverty, and many other things.

Planning a Compassion Sunday is easy:

1. Pray about your participation
2. Talk with your pastor
3. Order a free planning guide
4. Prepare your presentation

Everything you need to plan and prepare for your Compassion Sunday is available on the Compassion Sunday website.

Are you ready to help Change the Story for more children living in extreme poverty? I hope you are!

My continuing education…so to speak

“No one can get an education, for of necessity education is a continuing process.”

-Louis L’Amour

I love to read!

We have books in almost every room in our home, and I am usually reading at least three books at any given time. I have always loved to read. I was the one who would get in trouble for reading past my bedtime with a flashlight. The flashlight would be taken away, but that didn’t stop my. I would sit by window and dream of living with Laura Ingalls out on the prairie…

A few years ago, I was reading a blog post of a friend of mine where she talked about a commonplace book. In this particular blog post, Cheryl talks about the importance of investing in ourselves as wives and moms to be reading good books to encourage us to continue in this path we have chosen to follow.

I have now filled up two composition journals with quotes and Bible verses that have spoken to me over these past few years. I was just thinking today what a gift these will be for my daughter when she is old enough to become a wife and mother.

Have you read any good books lately?