And Across the Pond....

Oh Mom…. I think I definitely owe you one of these updates!  I’m so sorry I haven’t written lately but the internet in Kilgoris is not too hot.  But I think you will forgive me because of the cute pictures of these kids that I’m including.  Hah.… see I knew you would forgive me.  Ok well we have talked quite a bit since I left and I even got to see you’re beautiful face on Skype the other night, but I just wanted to tell you a little more about life in Africa right now.

I truly love it here!!!!  I just reached Arusha and far its great and the family we are staying with is so kind and welcoming.  I think I could learn a lot from them about what it looks like to have a successful life in another country and as a missionary.  Its kind of strange because I never ever wanted to go into mission work, and you know how hesitant I’ve been to ever go into ministry, but for the first time I have a total peace about the work I’ve been doing (especially the work in Kenya).  I think God might be pushing me into a direction I was stubborn to go, but I love this peace and these kids have made it completely worth it.  The sense of purpose is addicting and I feel like I just belong here.  I don’t know what that means or if anything like a job will come of it, so Im praying about it.  That being said, even if I don’t work over here later, the work we were able to do here has been so blessed and so fun.  Other than working with the staff to get all of the kids updated on their medical needs, we were able to move in 9 more kids to the Children’s Home and it was amazing to see.  These kids have been in the program but unfortunately they didn’t think there was room for them in the home.   Then we moved in a few more bunk beds, and BAM had room for these new kiddos, and it was a freakin celebration.  We got all of the kids soda the night we moved in the new kids and we just danced and partied.  There was such a sense of joy!!!  Ok well that’s all for now, but I will write again before I leave Tanzania.  I miss you a bunch and the only other thing I will tell you is to go read the new Donald Miller book…. You will love it!  Love you!!!

Livin with Mom and Dad (again)

I can't believe I've already been home for a month and a half!  Time flew since I've been back with you and dad.  Its weird to think the next time I write one of these I will be in Kenya.  Well since my last post I have been staying busy volunteering at church with the communication team and helping plan the worship and communion service.  I have also spent a bunch of time catching up with old high school friends like Angie, Tommy, Kyle, Danielle, and Okado.  I forgot how much fun they all are and how much I like being around them in the city!  Plus you have introduced me to some great new friends up here too.  Hanging out and gettin to know all the Chapel people has been more of a blessing than I could have ever imagined.  Julie and Jess and your whole team have been so good to me, and watching how much they love you and dad has been really wonderful to see.  You really do live in a great city with wonderful people!
        I have also been babysitting the cutest kids in the whole wide world
the past few months.    Cy, Charlotte, and Piper have been so much fun to hang around and I have also been hanging with the Frantz and Haecker kids too!  I forgot ow much fun it is to hang around babies and how cute they are.  Its also good training for me before I head  to Kenya and work with all those kids.  But I'm not so sure its good because now I cant wait until Paige and Jed have a little baby!
   I love you guys so much and thanks for letting me spend the last couple of months with you.  Its been relaxing and fun and a great way to gear up for my trip!

Jan Blog! New Year!!

Sorry this is actually my January blog, Ill have lots more to say for February.
Anyways, I miss you guys!!! We're trying really hard to figure out when we're coming, so hopefully soon! New Years was very quiet this year which was suprisingly nice, Jed had to be up for work the next day at four so Stef and I just watched the ball drop and had champagne. Work is getting better, not so crazy busy and I'm really liking most the people I work with. Jed's loving his job still, had some cool stories and arrests in January, which always makes him happy. He might be switching to graves coming up in a month or so, so it looks like I'll be having sleepovers with the dogs and/or stef. It only lasts for like three months so it's not so bad. Our big thing right now is just looking for apts. I really like some in Simi just down Madera and so did Jed so looks like we'll be real close to B+C! It's two bedrrom, two bath so now YOU can visit!! I'm excited to move and redecorate everything:) Rather then that, I still have the drama group meetings here on Tuesdays and I'm looking into some different classes to get into. The biggest change this month are the two barking additions. The dogs are doing great, Chloe is a huge attention whore and freaks out not being pet. She also waits till we're asleep to jump on the bed and squeeze between us. Roxi is doing well, kida freaked by Chloe's size but it's so funny when they play.
I'm reading John O's new book, "The Me I Want To Be" and love it so far! read it yet? So everythings good on the west coast, Trent and Chandler are visiting Thursday too which should be fun:)
Love you and miss you guys like crazy! SEE YOU SOOOOON!!

Back to School...O back to School!

Hey mom,

   I wanted to start off by saying how much I loved being back at home for winter break. Christmas, Mark getting married, the snow, and being with you guys was sooo much fun! It makes me sad thinking about it now. How sad it was leaving the comforts of home, but basically leaving you, dad, and Mal was sad. But I am fully back into the swing of college life at APU! It's been great seeing friends and being back in new classes. I got the best welcome I could get when I was tackled by Chandler at the airport. She missed me and you know how much I missed her. As much as I love the snow, the warm weather has been so nice to be back in. My classes are good too! I like all of my professors as well. My classes are Rhetorical Theory, Research Methods, Christian Ministries, Exodus/ Deuteronomy, and Christianity and the Creative Process. Mom, you would love Christianity and the Creative Process. It's all about using the arts as ways of worship and what Christianity looks like in Hollywood and culture. It's a pretty cool class! Anyway, work has also been good except for how many people have been laid off over the past few months. Almost 10 different people have been laid off for different reasons, but mostly they didn't use integrity. Pretty crazy. Also, it' been raining soo much lately. This past week it rained a week straight. It sucked and it just didn't stop. But now it's sunny and the mountains look gorgeous with snow on them. Life is good mom and I'm really starting to enjoy college life. I'm comfortable at APU and it's been cool to see how I'm growing. I'm even keeping my room clean and doing my laundry without Chandler's help! It's a miracle! I hope everything is going well back home and I know things felt a little empty after I left, but it's nice that you got Mallory around. If you didn't have her then you would have been really sad empty nesting it again. By the way, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Anyway, catch you later and I love you sooo much.

Your son,

Trent

Home Again

Hi Mom-
  Well this is not as cool as the other posts I've done since usually I'm 2000 miles away, and this time you are in the next room.  BUT there's still plenty to update you on. 
    Since my last post kind of a lot has happened.   First is that I quit my job at Thinkwell after 2 years to head to Africa.  Its kind of weird to leave that place since its been such a huge part of my life, but it was time.  I will miss the people so much, but I didnt always love the job itself (not that I have to tell you that since I called you crying about it on more than one occasion).  Plus I got to be a producer for a while.
  Then I had to say bye to the girls and that was the hardest part.  Saying bye to Shauna, Brew, Paige, Pete, and Jed was so hard since it was the best year of my life.  Living in Pasadena was so much fun and I learned a ton about myself, life, and how amazingly lucky I am to have incredible friends around me all the time.  I dont think I'll ever have as good of a living situation so Im just grateful for it.  I came back home to you right before Christmas and of course the house smelled, sounded, and looked like Christmas.  I am so grateful for the Christmas' we've had.  I love our traditions from the abelskeivers, to the homemade chicken soup, to the story we read every Christmas Eve, to getting new PJ's, to watching a Christmas story.  It makes the season the best ever! Plus it was fun to finally meet all the chapel people, and have Dave and and Jess with us for Christmas!

      Then the old high school girls came over the day after Christmas and Dad made everyone breakfast.  It was so much fun to see all those girls again and they kept saying how they loved coming to our house to see our family.  Then headed up to Madison with Em and Donna and their hubbies.  And spent New Years downtown with Angie and Tommy. 
     Since then just been catching up with old friends and making new ones (I love your friends from the chapel), and spending a lot of time with the Haywards prepping for my Africa trip.  Plus support has really begun to come in and its been extremely humbling.  I just feel so encouraged and supported in this next adventure and I have you guys to thank for so much of that!  So thats it for now, since we live together and talk everyday, but just some of the highs we may want to remember.  Love you!
 

Happy Holidays from the West Coast!

Happy Holidays!!!

I’ll start on Thanksgiving. For the first time ever I hosted Thanksgiving at the apt. and had all of the CHP couples over. We fried the Turkey, which tasted amazing and had everything you can imagine. You would have been proud! That’s about the time work started getting really crazy. I swear the holidays bring out the absolute worst in people sadly. I got stuff thrown at me and yelled at countless times for things that weren’t my fault but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Anyways I worked for most of December up through Christmas Eve. The good thing was the minute I got home on xmas eve it actually felt like Christmas. Vic and Stef came over and we had tamales and eggnog…interesting combo. And of course, watched a Christmas story:). Then Jed and I moved the mattress in the living room, to sleep by the tree and fire, and exchanged presents. I got my amazing Tiffany Key, Sex in the City, earrings, makeup, a leg lamp night light, and so on. Jed got a new knife for work, three DVD’s, a CHP nutcracker, and Santa suit;) I went to bed watching the Holiday (felt like home). When I got up I ichated you guys!! I swear ichat is the greatest thing on the planet.  It wasn’t quite the same as being there but still pretty good. I had Christmas breakfast with the wives and went on a walk with stef. When I got home I watched Charlie Brown Christmas and then Jed got home. We all saw Sherlock Holmes which was amazing!! I wanna see it again!  Now back to work. Our holiday is actually threw Valentines day because of the semi annual sale. Ug. O forgot!! Also had a bunch of ladies come over the week before Christmas for my first annual Christmas teaJ. I had scones and fudge and quiche!! I can’t wait to spend next Christmas with you guys!! Love and miss you a ton! 

p.s. the Pic was from the CHP Christmas Party which was dec. 18th. Not too much to say about that, fun to dress up, we won a camera, it was cool:)

Paige and Jed

Hippie Thanksgiving (yep I went there)

Hi Mom-
  So this past month was a little less crazy, but still pretty eventful. Halloween,  hate to say, was lame this year especially since you consider the crazy Santa Barbara Halloweens.  Ernie was super sick so I spent the night at Mama's with a sick dog and bad scary movies, BUT at least they have the hot tub.
   November, however, has been pretty hip-tastic.  Seriously!  We got free tickets to go see the Steve Miller Band play at USC and it was incredible.  Then we went and saw this amazing Grateful Dead cover band in Redondo.  The people there were, well you cant really describe the people there.  Its like creepy old men, pot heads, and tie-dye t-shirt salespeople convereged to create this sublime musical moment.  I dont know how you and dad didn't soak up this hippie stuff more when you were younger.  Oh and then last weekend we went to see Led ZepAgain!  Yes that is the real name, and yes they were one of the most incredible music acts I've ever seen.  The spirit of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant completely encompassed the place.  Pretty crazy month with some of the best music I've ever heard!

     I also went to Cirque Solei Kooza before Thanksgiving.  Such an incredible show with this total mystical dream theme... not as good as LOVE I'm sure but still pretty awesome.  And then we had Thanksgiving at Allison's house with your whole family plus all your kids (new and old).  We missed you and dad alot, but you sent us a "few" text messages while you were gone so we felt like we were with you.  It made me really excited for Christmas though when we'll be back in Chicago together!  Ok and as far as movies reviews go I have a couple recommendations for you to go see.  "An Education" may be my favorite film of the year and the music is incredible too (all jazzy french stuff).  "Blind Side" is the official feel good movie of the season and its actually a really good film.  "Pirate Radio" is fairly funny, but may have the best soundtrack of all time.  And the film that everyone is excited to see coming up is "Sherlock Holmes"... Christmas movie?  YES!

  Thats all for now but I love you so much and cant wait to see you in a couple weeks!