Food of the gods

Before all the Christmas craziness began, we Wilcuts decided to celebrate on our own...at the Melting Pot in Irvine! Our friend and roommate for the next few weeks joined us as well. (Sam is home from Biola and is staying in our guest room.) By the time we had finished the four course meal of cheese fondue, salad, broth fondue with a menagerie of meats, and a chocolate fondue, we were all feeling the early signs of a food coma. We also exchanged gift between courses. What a fun and memorable evening!

Merry Christmas

The light still exists.
The light still shines.
Thousands of years later, the light is still...
The hope of the world.

"The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world."
- John 1:9

Amazing Grace

Grace. I am finally getting what it is all about, and it is changing me. All my life I have heard about God's love for me and his grace. I even taught lessons on these topics, discussed them with girls I mentored, and thanked God for them. The problem was, I hadn't accepted these things myself; I didn't experience them in my life. It has only been recently that I have been awakened to what grace truly is and what it feels like to live under it. And let me tell you...it feels mighty nice.

Understanding more about the gift that grace is, and living under it, has freed/is freeing me from my cage of attempted perfectionism and trying in vain to earn God's approval. This was my m.o. for years, and it ate me up inside. I always wondered why I was so hesitant to share my faith with others. I now realize it was because I was living under such an immense burden and subconsciously did not desire to pass that along to others. The renewal of my mind and heart has been slow, but somewhere in the past two years, my eyes have been opened. The fact that I am loved as I am, and that God will never love me less, no matter what mess I might find myself in, will forever blow my mind.

The last two days, Dan and I have been processing a rather difficult situation together. It had potential to be destructive, but grace won out. I've been reflecting lately on the idea that all things come from God--even the desire and ability to choose grace over shaming and judging. Between Dan and I, love and acceptance was given and healing has come. Want to know one of the most incredible experiences in the world? Giving grace freely and genuinely from a heart that knows what it is like to have been forgiven and loved. Good stuff.

Check out what my incredibly talented husband made...

 

 

 

 

As Dan and I were walking though South Coast Plaza one evening, we saw a table at an Environmental Furniture showroom that we both loved. We asked how much it was...$2700! Needless to say, it was beyond our budget. After the saleswoman left us alone for a bit, Dan started checking out how the table was constructed. "I could duplicate this," he told me. A month later, this moved into our kitchen. I love it!

My grandfather was also very creative and handy. My grandmother would often bring home things and he would duplicate them and then she would return them. He died when I was young, so stories about his talent seemed magical and almost too good to be true. Little did I know that my husband would have similar giftings!

Feeling uncomfortable...

Last night Dan and I finished watching the movie, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden. The basic premise is this: Morgan Spurlock found out he is becoming a father and he starts realizing what a crazy place this world is. He knows that in all the action movies, it ends up being one man who does what a whole government cannot. With that in mind, he begins his mission to make the world a safer place for his coming little one by setting out to find Osama Bin Laden.

The movie was entertaining, yet quite sobering. It sparked much conversation and provoked many emotions in me- fear, anger, sadness, and confusion among others. Dan patiently let me vent as I tried to express as best as I could how disturbing it all is...the affairs of our government (and wrestling with what to believe and what not to believe), the state of unrest among so many counties in the Middle East, how so many are living in such squalor, the devastating effects of war(s), etc. I was left so worked up and overwhelmed about what my role is to be in this vast, broken world. THERE IS JUST SO MUCH NEED. What role does the Lord desire me to play on the local, national, and international levels. I have been given so much and I want to give myself away, but what the heck does that look like?

I don't know, but with Dan, I went to God and invited Him into my fears, my confusions, my grief. He is over all and in the end, He will have the last word. How much peace that brings to my heart in this world of sinful men, corruption, and unknowns. What I do not know is how men and women can live life without knowledge of a loving, all-powerful God being over all. Talk about stress and cause for depression!

Dan and I are still left haunted and quite uncomfortable with our new knowledge. The upcoming elections have us quite uncomfortable, too. Is one candidate better than another? Would Jesus be a polical activist? Is the political arena somewhere I should spend my time?

We will continue to wrestle with these things...and invite God into them as we seek understanding and heart that are modeled after His.

It's a wonderful thing...

...getting to wake up and come home to my best friend.

One more week...

...until I get to be Dan's wife, take a much needed vacation with him, and live daily life with him. I can hardly wait!
 

Meet Ava-Jane Louise

...the newest Sandoval (P.J. and Jackie's little girlie)! She's got lots of hair and cuteness.

She and Shelby decided to sport matching outfits, so it was time for a photo shoot.

I think I am the luckiest aunt in the world. Two beautiful baby nieces within months of each other.

Photo Opportunity!

Karey Michelle is not only a friend, but an incredibly gifted photographer. Talk about a gem! When we were with her, it was fascinating to watch her work; she saw beauty and potential in things like light, shadows, and viewpoints...things that I am simply oblivious to.

Click here to see the engagement slideshow she put together for Dan and me. We could not be more pleased (except if my hair would have not been so wind-blown)!

Happy viewing...

http://www.kareymichelle.com/Slideshows/DanAngel/

P.S. Just kidding...I can't figure out how to get the link to link, so you will have to just cut and paste. :(

Life's a funny thing

Life is a funny thing. Or maybe I just cannot surrender to the fact that it cannot be controlled, dictated or predicted. Whatever the case may be, I never, in a million years, would I have envisioned myself engaged and planning a wedding a year ago. Dan's entrance into my life and planning our life together has completely turned over the perfectly manicured plans I had for my future. Though, I must say that I have never felt more certain about anything in my life.

So for those of you that care to hear the proposal story...

Dan and I drove to Las Vegas to visit his brother and sister-in-law (yes, some people do call it home) for the weekend. Dan picked me up in a rental car after work on Friday (2/29) and we drove to Nevada. On Saturday morning, we awoke early and while I got ready (doing my 1 hr. straighten the hair routine that I save only for special occasions), Dan prepared a lunch. Once every hair of mine was stripped of its curl, we got on our way. Dan drove us into Arizona to Hoover Dam. We drove over the dam and down the a highway that paralleled the Colorado River. I had never been to this place on the earth before and it was lovely. The desert was in bloom, so I just took in the sights as Dan navigated us to our destination.

We parked at a marina where Dan had reserved a boat. It wasn't fancy, but it was clean and allowed us to explore the river. Dan drove us as far up river as we could go, so that we could look up and see the dam from the front. Pretty majestic for a bunch of concrete. We turned around and went down river for a bit until we found a good place to anchor. Once the boat was secure (second times' a charm!), Dan served me the lunch he had prepared...a chicken salad sandwich on homemade (Dan-made) bread. Sounds pretty boring, but it was amazing. (If I haven't mentioned it, Dan is a cook and has a special knack for flavors.)

After lunch, we decided to wade out of the boat onto a rock island that had been exposed because of the low water level. It was there, while I was bending over and choosing which rocks I wanted to cart home, that Dan was getting ready. Right before we were to get back in the boat, he asked me to look at some "other" rocks. I did and there was a box that was clearly out of place among them. As I picked up the box and opened it up to find a ring, he got down on his knee and said (I can only assume) wonderful things to me. I cannot tell you what was said only because his voice was drowned out by my internal voice screaming, "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!!!!" over and over again. I did somehow catch the end where he asked if I would be his wife.

So with rock walls on both sides, the Colorado River rushing by, and not one soul around, I told Dan yes.

Words do not seem adequate to express the gratitude I feel for the blessing that Dan has been/is to me. My life is so greatly enhanced with him in it. He far exceeds any person I have ever envisioned for myself. I am so excited to be his wife.

So, yeah, life is funny, but how thankful I am that it is!

P.S. The wedding is set for July 19th. Three months and counting!

Welcome to Earth

Fun fact: Holding baby burritos can deeply minister to one's soul. My advice...do it as often as possible!

Oh, and the card was made for Shelby by her cousin, Jacob. Children always word things the best.

She's heeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrre!

Shelby Grace Kliewer arrived on her due date, January 20th, at around 7am. Mom and baby are doing great. For that I am so thankful. Shelby is so soft and beautiful and it is so fun to finally meet this precious little one.

More pictures to come.

Life With Dan

I have been absent from the world of blogging for quite some time. There is a reason and his name is Dan.

I find that life with Dan is not only wonderful, but much busier. With the presence of a new significant person, I have much less time for many pieces of my routine that I had grown accustom. I am still a bit awkward with the balance of things (What do I cut out? I love it/them all!), but I am slowly getting things figured out and, as I do, I hope to visit this world more often. Sorry, Shey!

P.S. Dan is great; it feels like I met my best friend. We have tons of fun together and it's tough to imagine how life felt so full before him. He's a keeper. :)

Ode to 'The Quil'

Wonderous red syrup,
You make my nights so inviting.
By your command the cough takes a hike,
the mucus stops its flow,
And slumber takes it rightful place.
How wrong I was to ever speak against your taste,
Or turn to other imposters,
For I would be nothing without you,
my precious bottle of Nyquil.




Is it bad when you actually like the taste of Nyquil?