pedro negro

Getting older

I have realized that as I have become older the down time I need to myself in between friends is more and more.  I used to spend all of my free time with someone around, now I would go crazy.  I need hours to myself or relaxing with Lauren before I feel I have enough energy to spend that with someone else.  Does everyone get this way? Why do we do this?

Along the same lines...

In my times of reflection and thought I am often so thankful for many of the things in my life that are constants.  My family, always a phone call away to help with anything.  My wife, the anchor in my life of love, support, encouragement and most of all friendship.  I have been so burdened lately with troubles that I have heard about in a few different marriages.  It breaks my heart that so many young people struggle with marriage.  Marriage should be the joining of two best friends for a long life of love and support, "through sickness and heath, richer or poorer, for as long as you both should live."  I know that this is somewhat cheesy or cliche but it's true.  Marriage is so much more than the certificate, it is not a piece of paper, anyone can get that and it means nothing, but marriage is the bond that you have with only one person that is so special nothing should be able to tear it apart.  The problem with this is when we allow ourselves to begin forming bonds with people of the opposite sex other than your spouse.  It is one thing to have friends, I have many "girlfriends" but I do not talk to them about certain things that should be talked about only with guy friends in the right context and setting.  If not these talks begin to form the special bond, I am sure that this sounds crazy and it is, but husbands and wives do not wake up one morning and cheat on their spouse, it takes weeks and months of talking to someone of the opposite sex about personal things in your life when you should not be.  Next thing you know you are justifying your action because "he or she understands you better" and you never would have allowed this to happen but it "just happened."  It didn't "just happen" you spent the last three months making sure that it was going to happen.  

Sorry for the rant but it really makes me sick seeing the state of marriage today.  

Kids listen up!

• Date for a long time, get to know them, the family, friends, through all seasons of life
• If your friends don't like who you are dating that is usually a good sign that it's not good
• Don't rush to get married so you can have sex. Bad idea. The sex will not hold a marriage together for long at all.
• If you are not marrying your best friend, keep looking, you will grow to hate one another with all the little things you are unwilling to put up with.
• "Don't let the sun go down on your anger" do not let anger fester in your heart, it will get bigger and bigger until it consumes you
• "You can only love those around you as good as you can love you wife."  Use that as a gauge for your life it really helps.

I'm not an expert or have all the answers by any means but I love my wife, were happy, we get along and today was better than yesterday and it has been like that for the last 7 years.

"win her heart everyday" best marriage advise I ever received.

May 26 2009

Lauren and I have been married for three years and it has been the best years of my life. 

Last night we had an amazing dinner at Belly Timber came home and watched a couple episodes of a DVD and went to bed.  If we never did anything else besides hung out at the house and watched television on DVD I would be happy.  Thank you Lauren for all the wonderful years together.  

In October we will have been together for seven years, this blows my mind.

Wonderful weather...

...and wonderful friends.  This last week I have busy hanging out with Nick Sass and Taylor Smith.  Some of my great friends from Redding.  We got out a can of red paint and hit the town, not really, but we sure had a great time.   Multnomah Falls, The Water trough Saloon, Baghdad Theater, downtown burrito carts, built a new bike, tour-de-portland, sunshine, and many a good memory.

  

I have been working at least five days a week since I got home from our Christmas vacation to visit family over the first week of the new year but I am not getting many hours.  It works out because I might have lined up a part time job at a bike shop around the corner from me.  And for the next two weeks I am working at a different store downtown while a girl is in Haiti.  Looking foreword to a much slower pace Starbucks store for a while.  

On a completely separate note.  It must have been right around the time we got back from our trip to Cali that I had a day off and I cleaned the house, made breakfast, read some C.S. Lewis and walked to the dentist.  As I was walking in the crisp northwest air with the sun shining that I realized that, "I am more content than I have been in years."  I walked the 2.5 miles downtown and smiled the entire way.  I am sure that the passer byes thought I was nuts, just another crazy homeless guy with a huge grin plastered from ear to ear, but it would not go away.  I was just thinking about my life, where I have been, where I am now and couldn't think of a single thing that I was not satisfied with.  Great wife, amazing friends up here, super awesome church community, we both have jobs, Lauren and I love each other more and more each day and have an amazing relationship.  We can pay bills, our apartment feels more like a home than any other place I have ever lived and I breath easy when I am home.  All and all I love my life.  I was so satisfied with everything and I don't in know how long, if ever, I had had so much joy in my life.  

Just some thoughts I have been thinking about.  I am going to post some new pictures and I am also on Facebook these days so feel free to say hello.  To all my friends come and visit I miss you all.  The pacific northwest seems to melt away so much and just a very peaceful and inviting place.  People are polite, content and it seems they are genuinely kind.  Thank you Nick and Taylor for making it such a great week.

Wednsedate

Well to start, my battery read 84% when I opened my computer and then I opened Safari loaded my blog page and it died.  Pretty Awesome.  So I guess my battery is done.

Wednesdays I think are my second favorite day of the week.  Sundays Lauren and I hang out all day after church and wednesday there is a group of us that meet at Albina Press for coffee and some fun hang out time.  I worked yesterday but I was able to join some friends later in that day that made up for missing the morning.   My usual morning involves making some sort of delicious breakfast sandwich for Lauren and myself and then a lazy rest of the day at Albina finished off with a lovely meal with friends.  If you get to Albina early Jason, Charley, and Nick work and Nicole closes.  Pretty much the best day.  

To finish off a great day we had Adam, Everett and Nate over from garlic chicken, rice, mixed veggies and pork potstickers.  Had a few beers and spent the night laughing about anything and everything.  

Way to go Wednesdate, you have done it again.

Recently....

...I turned 29, hung out with the whole black side of the family for the first time in 7-9 years, had a birthday bash at the watertrough saloon that rivaled any birthday in history, made some great new friends up here, got my iPhone (that I love), spent way to much time hanging out with friends not enough quiet alone time, ate a burger my wife made that blew my mind (her cooking has gone up a few notches since we got married), and hung out with said person.  

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch it was so good being all together.  I was so lucky to have not only all my family but some great friends also.  Thank you Nate, Joey, Ashley for being a part of it with us.

Tried to start reading That Hideous Strength but I just can't get into it, so instead I will be starting The Chronicles of Narnia.  Steve got me an amazing box set from the 50's for my birthday, I am excited about this set because it was the ones that I had when I was young.  

I am going to go make some breakfast for Goose and I.  Breakfast sandwiches are my speciality and I bought some Chicken Apple Sausage so I think they are going to be pretty good.

Side note I spend way to much time playing PapiJunp on my iPhone.

Settling In

Yesterday was Sunday and we would normally be heading to church in Lake Oswego, but Eric and AnnMarie went to see beck and cold war kids in Bend last night and that meant we didn't go to church.  Eric was hired at a church and we are planning on attending the Sunday evening service but with him gone and a church of strangers we spent some time relaxing just the two of us and later met up with some friends.  Most of the people we have meet go to Imago Dei and Lauren and I are not sure yet if we want to go there just because of the size of the place.  We love neighborhood church don't get me wrong but Lauren and I have our issues with it too.  We want to get back into smaller churches and i'm not sure that Imago is the right fit for that.  It is massive and almost all young adults.  This is an entire blog in itself.

Zach and Kelly took off yesterday, it was so wonderful that they came up here.  I think that everyone needs to visit Portland and spend some time here.  It has been raining off and on and so far no depression.  After this winter I will get back to you.  Well this has been a terrible post so I am off to do laundry with the Mrs. 

And hanging out with Joey everyday again is as wonderful as I remember.  He is one great friend and good guy.

We made it

We finally are here.  All this posting about getting here and visiting here and now we are residents.  Lauren and I are so thankful for all the help and support through all of this.  

We got here on Tuesday and signed the lease and got the Uhaul unloaded thanks to Joey, Nich, Tyler and Cousin Liz.  We were thankful that there were people here to help out and make the transition easy.  For Wednesday and Thursday we unpacked, IKEA, House of Vintage, Vintage Pink and Lots of Good Stuff (literally they were called Lots of Good Stuff and indeed they had lots of good stuff), took Joey to the airport, dinner with Zach, Kelly, Eric and AnnMarie at the DougFir, and a pint and Olympics at the Backstage.  Go USA!  Yesterday was the first day that we finally felt like we lived here.  We have been just laying low and unpacking and yesterday was when we finally just got to sit and feel like things were in order.  With the added bonus of going out for dinner and spending time with friends it was a great day.

It is so strange and new for me to be in such a wonderful and big city.  It feels small but is big in number.  Homey with lots of great local business and restaurants, but every major chain that you could imagine.  Lauren and I are excited to see what is in store and who will end up moving here (Holly and Justin...wink, wink) but whatever this city holds for me I am excited about a new adventure with my best friend.  Lauren is so easy going and we get along so well I couldn't ask for a better wife and friend.(I am not sure if you have realized this but I am super cheezy about everything.  so that was my cheezy little plug about how awesome she is)  Anyways check out our new place and the move.

To all our Redding friends we miss you.

Sunday Sick Day

Lauren and I stayed home from church today because she is not feeling well.  We had a BBQ at Holly's house yesterday, hung out poolside, cooked some dogs, and hung out with her brother and dad.  I am not sure if it was the hot links, or too much sun, or some other fluke but she did not have a great morning.  Holly's brother is moving to Portland, well Lake Oswego, because he got a job as the worship/young adult pastor at a church there.  Eric (Holly's brother) and her dad are on thee way there now.  I am excited that he is going to work at a church that Lauren and I can get involved with, plus some other great friends that we can have in that wonderful city.  

I'm off to spend the day with Lauren and make sure that she is comfortable and getting better.

Everyone have a great Sunday.

best weekend ever....

....I know that I think everything is the best all the time but this really was the best weekend we have ever had. Actually this was the best trip that either of us has ever taken.

Our anniversary isn't till the 26 but we were going to be out of town last weekend so we figured we we do something nice for the occasion. I thought "sure monterey will be nice and I can't wait to hang out just the two of us and explore" but I had no idea how much I was going to love the coast around there. I still can't believe how beautiful this trip was.

Brentwood for Girlfriends event
Santa Clara for Gramdma and Mom
Monterey
Camping at Big Sur
Dinner at Nepenthe
Drive the 1 to Carmel by the Sea
Drive all over Carmel
17 Mile Drive
Monterey
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Riding bikes along beach
Drive Hwy 1 to San Francisco (was awesome drive)
Get home tired
Go to work at 5:00am Monday morning exausted
Post pictures

We should get lots of friends together and camp and drive the 1. It would be great.