silly faces

i got a video text message from this little man today

he's learning to say "auntie erica"
it sounds a lot like "ca-ca"
which is what spencer called me for YEARS when he was little.

mackoy was saying it over and over again.
pointing to my picture.
melt. my. heart.

we got to take him swimming this summer.

the weekend we met his new little sister.

sweet haven lee.
she's lucky to have a big brother like mackoy.
he loves her already.

can't wait to see all the faces she'll make :)

isn't she sweet?!?!
such a beautiful little girl.
just like her mama :)

we're missing our nieces and nephews this morning.
we'd love to have auntie and uncle camp today.
i get excited just thinking about all the fun that would be.

sunday evenings

lead to monday mornings.
and i like to be positive about monday mornings.
i usually have my best runs on monday mornings.
but i'm not gonna lie...
for the past few weeks
sunday evenings have brought with them
a certain level of anxiety.

and i've realized that I'm not much of an anxious person.
but when i do get anxious,
i ain't pretty.
just ask Rob.

to-do lists start forming at a rapid, uncontrollable rate.
i think of five things i should have done before leaving on thursday.
i lose precious sleep,
which stresses me out because i desperately need my sleep.
(this adds to the "it ain't pretty" I mentioned above.)
and...
well, you get the point.

don't get me wrong,
i love my job.
and i am really thankful for it.
but it's hard.
and some weeks are more difficult than others.
which was last week.

but...
God is showing up in the midst of it.
just like he always does.
and He's opening my eyes.

there are spiritual battles being
waged everyday. everywhere.
even at my job.
especially at my job.
I feel it.
in my spirit.
in my body.
I see it.
in my clients.
in my coworkers.

call me crazy.
but it's the Truth.

it is an honor that God
allows me to be on the front lines.
but I sometimes feel weary.

and now is one of those times.

just keepin' it real. ;)

so, if the Spirit leads.
and I pray that He leads.
pray for me this week.

this verse is my encouragement as i head into another manic monday,
and maybe it will encourage you, too:

"For God did not give us (me!) a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of POWER, of LOVE, and of SELF-DISCIPLINE"

Sweet Jesus,
fill me up until I'm overflowing with your Spirit.
for-the-love-of-all-that-is-holy....
FILL.ME.UP.

my husband rocks.

If I were to write a Top 10 For David Letterman, it would be

TOP TEN REASONS WHY BOBBY HAUDE ROCKS:

10. He makes me bacon and eggs every weekend morning. And helps with the dishes.
9. He gives great back rubs after I have a terrible week at work.
8. He is uber cheesy sometimes, which makes me smile.
7. He is the kindest, most patient man I know.
6. He loves children, no matter their race, intelligence level, disability, or specialty.
5. He is HOTT (yes, with TWO t's)....and he looks oh-so-fine when he is running and sweaty.
4. He is my favorite person to travel with and go on new adventures with.
3. He loves our family--all of them, all the time.
2. He loves Jesus and wants us to love Jesus well together.
1. He's mine. All mine :)

So, while we're celebrating the awesomeness that is my hubby,
let me tell you about what he's been up to lately.

He has been training for his first Triathlon.
and he is doing in to raise support for Autism Speaks.

He is passionate about Autism and the children/families that are affected by it.
see what I mean?
He's great, huh?!

Here's what he has to say about what he is doing:

There are 1 in every 110 children in the United States affected with Autism.
It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans may be affected with autism.

Autism Speaks has dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism. Autism speaks also advocates for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

I have signed up to do a triathlon for a cause and have chosen Autism Speaks because I see everyday how difficult it is for these children and parents to cope with the effects of this disorder. These children struggle to communicate and build meaningful relationships, yet they still have so much life and joy.

I feel that there is a great need for our society to become better educated around Autism. My prayer is that our society will see individuals with Autism as unique in their own right and not as people with some unknown disability.

Maybe you personally know someone affected by Autism.
Maybe you don't. yet.
Chances are you will someday.
donate now to support this great organization
and the children & families it helps.

Thank you!

we've moved.

again.
we moved in April to a new apartment.
yes, April.
and I'm just now posting pics.

well, i'm just now posting ANYTHING. ha!

we've had a busy summer and i have lots of things to post.
and hopefully I will be more inspired
(I almost used "disciplined," but really I want to be INSPIRED) to blog.

here's to hoping.

anyway...for now, let me give you a tour of our home.

I decided that this time
(we've moved 4 times in 3 years of marriage)
I was going to paint.
no more white-washed world.

I need COLOR!

my incredible mother and grandmother came out the day before
to help us.
on their birthday weekend (their bdays are two days apart)
they helped me pack my entire kitchen.
choose paint colors.
paint the entire master bed/bathroom, dining/living room, and kitchen.

rockstars.

after working all day, rob jumped right in to help with the kitchen.

after 8 hours of painting, we were still smiling!

so thankful for them.
and for color on the walls!

now for the tour:

when you walk in the front door, the kitchen is immediately on your left.


and the dining table on your right.
i'm going to get these floating shelves from our new IKEA for the blue accent wall.
they were sold out when we went last week.

this great consignment store find (thanks, mom!) stylishly stores
all my crafting/scrapbooking goods.
it's hard to tell in the pics, but the walls are "celery green"

the dining/living area is one open (very large) space.
which we love.
I painted the mantel and fireplace edging black.
(it was white....like every.thing.else in the entire place.)
and the piece of furniture next to the TV is another great consignment store find.

I'm looking forward to using the fireplace when the snow comes.
cuddling on our cozy new couch.
yes, you read correctly. new.

we couldn't get our big, beautiful brown couch up to our 3rd floor apartment.
we tried everything short of cutting it in half or
rigging some sort of pulley system to hoist it over the balcony.
i was sad. very sad. it was our first big purchase after we got married.
but it went to a good home where we can visit it whenever we like. :)

and now we have this lovely sofa.


we got the light brown chair at the consignment store (are you noticing a theme here!)

and the funky leaf chair was a happy present/gift from my grandma.
she's so hip, huh? :)


the apartment has two beds & two baths.
which is the most space we've ever had.
and we've definitely used it this summer with our visitors.
the spare bedroom isn't really decorated yet, so I haven't taken pictures of it yet.

but here's our master bed/bath:

the walls are called "icy blue."
they almost look lavender, at times.
very soothing.

the dresser that we bought and refinished (well, ROB refinished!)

look at all that counter space!
we went from having NO counter space. literally none.
to ten feet of it. oh yeah.

and two walk-in closets.
the door on the far left leads into our shower/toilet.

and that is all for now.
The only thing I have left to show you is our guest bed/bath.
I'll be honest. i have no idea when that will happen,
but I'll put it on my list! :)

upsets

we're watching the final seconds of the KU vs. VCU game right now.
i'm smiling. a lot.

1. because I'm a KState fan and so I can't help but grin when I see Jayhawk fans in shock (sorry friends!)

2. I love seeing the under-dog win.

who doesn't?
well, my hubby apparently doesn't!
he just said, and I quote, "They should only win during the first two rounds."
I'm not exactly sure that I follow his logic.
Maybe he is just upset about his bracket :)
He's ridiculously competitive sometimes.

this year's road to the final 4 has been full of upsets.
all four #1 teams are out.
all four!
that is almost unheard of.

seeing the underdog achievethe unthinkable makes me hopeful.
it makes me believe that anything is possible.
and there is something about this that reminds me of life with Christ.
who said "blessed are the poor,"
and "the least will be the greatest."
Jesus spent his time with the untouchables,
those that society didn't get a second thought,
who would not have met #1 no matter what the standard.

I know that my comparison here is a little far-fetched... VCU vs the poor and weak of society.

but it's the attitude of believing against the odds.
the hopefulness of cheering for that which seems impossible.

it reminds me of what an adventure life can be.
especially with my Jesus.

and it makes me like March Madness even more.
ha! KU out! no #1 seeds.

I can't stop smiling.

(p.s. I do feel a little sad for my friends who like KU and for the KU players. Losing stinks.)

two-steppin'

rob bought me cowboy boots for Christmas last year.
and i have been waiting for a chance to use them on the dance floor.

turquoise!
nothin' says cowgirl, like some turquoise accented cowboots!


so in honor of my 27th year of life,
we hit up with Grizzly Rose.

and Kristen & Chad came along, too!

we heel-toed-dosey-dowed with the best of 'em.

here's a fun fact about me:
i really love to dance.
if you know me well at all, you already knew this about me.
but just in case you didn't know, now you do :)

and once I get going,
it is hard to get me to stop.

partner dancing is not only good exercise and really fun,
but it is really great practice for me when it comes to following.
and allowing others to lead.
ah-hem, allowing Rob to lead.

when we first hit the dance floor that night,
it was...well, a little rough.
let's just say he was scuffin' up my new boots!

I wanted Rob to lead, but I didn't think he really knew what he was doing.
which he didn't.
but he wasn't going to learn unless I let him figure it out.

he called me on it.
which I love. (honest, I do. I love that he calls me on my crap.)

allowing him to learn to lead meant I had to
be okay with mistakes,
and looking silly at times.
it meant i had to trust him.
and let go of my idea of what it "should be like."

this is difficult for me.
i'm being very honest here.

and now you have a better picture of our marriage!
:)

I love you, Rob.
Will you please lead me around the dance floor for the next 50+ years?
I would love to celebrate all the rest of my birthdays dancing with you.

my favorite month

March is my favorite month.
and yet I haven't even blogged ONE TIME this entire month.

kinda pathetic.
scratch that.
it's okay that I haven't posted.
i don't really have an excuse.
i just haven't.
and that is okay.
right?
:)

(I decided to give up GUILT for lent this year.
along with desserts & sweets
I realized that I begin a lot of phrases with "I should..."
and sometimes I need to just let myself be
can anyone else relate?)

anyway, I decided to break my fast this morning.
and to quickly summarize why I love March:

my birthday! celebrated #27 this year.

the beginning of spring. ahhhh, sunshine and warmer weather. it is good for my soul.

lent. a season of preparing my heart and mind for Easter and the celebration of Jesus conquering death so that I could live. what ways to you practice lent?

spring break. which I no longer have, but I still appreciate for my husband's sake :).
this is one of those times when i think I should have been a high school English teacher. oh well.

March Madness! we have watched a.lot.of.basketball. my bracket is TERRIBLE this year and K-state broke my heart a little, but that games have been fun to watch. I'm just getting a little burned out of the TV being on. There is only 7 more games. And then we'll have to wait 7 more months for them to begin again. :)

and a special thing about this March,
is that we get to go to CALIFORNIA!
We haven't seen Rob's family since Thanksgiving.
It has been FAR too long and I can't wait to
meet little Hudson Haude,
wrestle with Jakers,
watch Gabriella and Melonie's first soccer game,
and spend hours laughing, crafting, talking, shopping,
and GOING TO DISNEY :)
I can't believe I almost forgot that we get to go to Disney!

Rob leaves Monday.
His dad will be there for two weeks,
on leave from Afghanistan.
I fly out Wednesday evening after work.
it will be so wonderful.
i dread how short it will feel,
but am thankful for time we do get.

i can't wait!