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I’m not meant to drive on dirt roads….roads that are rough, generously covered in loose gravel & dirt, hairpin/white knuckle inducing curves.  I don’t like driving these.  Fingers clenched softly around my steering wheel would tighten up as another car approaching head-on faster than I was driving would kick up dirt that I drove into.

I would slow down even more and cautiously enter the dusty cloud and migrate my way through.  Traveling down & up an extremely narrow road.  An adventure.  A switch from the norm & the safe.

Towards the end with each bump that would make my car sound like it was heavy laden with bass, I longed for the smoothness of pavement.  For wide, well-defined lanes.

We saw things we would have never seen had we stayed on the cushy asphalt.  Things like four deer standing in the road, then making a sudden getaway leaving no chance for paparazzi pictures.  Two cows and two calves.  Nibbling on dry weeds.

Between the curves and towering Pine Trees we saw breath taking views of the Mogollon Rim, saw new growth where fires had destroyed years before.

We were together.  Husband and wife.  Adventurers if only for a short time.

Saturday night Shawn and I were on our weekly date night.  When it’s nice out we go to this open air shopping center and walk a bit and enjoy a fountain dance they have.  We usually will sit and talk and enjoy a cup of coffee or lately frozen yogurt.

The fountains butt up to a courtyard area for a entertainment arena.  There is a giant screen on the arena that overlooks the courtyard and fountains.  We were sitting enjoying the fountains dance and splash to great heights when we noticed up on the giant screen was a marriage proposal:  “Trish Shaw, Will You Marry Me! Love, your Silverback”.  This is the exact proposal.  [Shawn's comment was, "Isn't a Silverback a monkey?"]  We sat there for a while and never heard any shouts for joy or saw a woman running away in disgust screaming NO!

I commented to Shawn that I so wanted to tweet the screen.  Then took that back and declared no, I’m thinking more a blog post.

So….a few questions:

1.  Would you want to be proposed to in such a public way?

2.  If you are married, how did your significant other propose to you?

3.  If you’re not married do you have any special way that would beat all other proposals with a stick?

My answers:

No, I wouldn’t have wanted to been proposed to that way.

Shawn’s proposal to me:  We’d gone and I picked out the ring I liked the day before.  They had to size it and add the diamond.  The day of after church I decided to take a nap (I love naps).  While I slept he snuck over to the jeweler and got the ring.  He was rather insistent later that we go to a nice place for dinner.  California Pizza Kitchen in particular.  I thought this kinda weird for a Sunday night but was like, “okay”.  After dinner we were walking back to the car and went to the top of the parking garage at the shopping center the restaurant is located at.  We’d visited this location a lot when we were first dating.  I was looking over the edge of the parking garage wall commenting on how we used to sit there and throw black jelly beans over the side.  Out of the corner of my eye I noticed him.  Down on one knee.  Ring in hand.  I broke into tears and laughter all at the same time.  It was a special place for me because we have so much history there.  Plus how many other women have been proposed to on top of a parking garage under city lights and stars?

Your turn:

I had the chance opportunity of a lifetime while in San Diego.  No I didn’t go swim with sharks.

If I believed in stars aligning to correct coordinates causing unbelievable things to happen I’d say the stars, planets, and moons were all in perfect order.  But I don’t, so I’ll just say what I’ve uttered over and over it was totally God.

I literally Googled my way into Alece’s life.  Literally.  I was looking for an image for this blog post when I found an image on her site among the images Google returned.  I was drawn to her like I am to latte’s and cupcakes.  From there she only continued to make a huge impact on my life.

The thing is, I never imagined we’d meet.  She lives in South Africa y’all.  That’s like…yeah very far away.  And when she’s not in SA, she’s living it up in Atlanta which seems just as far away from this Arizona bound lady.  Short of God taking me on a mission trip to SA, I just didn’t think we’d ever look at each other face to face.  Then I saw it.  A tweet from this lovely lady.  “@gritandglory when will you be in San Diego?”  Shawn and I were on our way to dinner and I flipped.  I immediately DM’d Alece.  And wouldn’t you know………our time in San Diego overlapped one evening.  Heidi, Alece, and I set on a course to meet up.

Heidi & Alece were the first tweeple/bloggers I’ve met.  Tam, Jenni, & Sarah had the pleasure of spending a week (or more) with Miss Alece so we had to fit a week’s worth of fun into a few hours.  So we hopped on a wagon and got to it.

Shawn did an excellent job of capturing the sincere heart-felt moments between the three of us.

This pic was just moments before this one:

In the top one I’d nearly just fallen off the wagon, in the second we just pretended (or were they trying to throw me off?:))

We discovered Alece’s deepest fear that she’ll have to become a wrestler to raise money for Thrive Africa if people don’t start giving to 10 Buck Tuesday.  Give people, I don’t think the mask suits her.

Shawn and I both commented though, that our favorite part of the evening was spent in a little Italian cafe in the heart of Little Italy.  Over coffee and dessert we heard and shared passions.  I’d only been following Heidi a short while so it was great to hear straight from her, about her and her life.  Being a mom to three kids and the daughter of a elected government official.  Hearing straight from Alece’s heart, her love and deep, deep passions for Africa – while I sat immediately across from her.  My love for these women grew that night.  No pictures were taken during those last moments but my mind and heart are filled with images that could never be captured by a camera, and will last a lifetime.  Or until I start losing my memory.

Part One
Part Two

Part 1 here.

As I mentioned yesterday I needed some ocean and beach in my life, which contributed to San Diego being our destination of choice for our trip.  We, unfortunately, didn’t have time to go to the actual beach but Sea Port Village was a wonderful substitute.

It is situated right on San Diego Bay across from Coronado Island.  We spent most of Monday under blue skies meandering through little shops, grassy areas, and ocean bordered walkways.

We filled our bellies with Greek food as we overlooked the bay.  I could almost imagine it was the Mediterranean and not the Pacific.

We enjoyed ice cream under an umbrella where a little bird decided to attack Shawn.

It was a wonderful day under the sun (the only warm day we were there).  Being together.  Being in love.

Tomorrow – a chance of a life time.

(All photos in gallery by Shawn, except the Seagull, the aircraft carrier, & the top middle one.)

Shawn and I always attempt to take a trip over/around our anniversary.  The past few years we’ve gone to Northern California and visited his youngest brother.  We love Nor Cal and San Francisco, but we decided this year we needed to take a “just us” vacation.  We decided on San Diego….I needed some ocean and beach.

As much as we had intended in the beginning to have a relaxing, just us time, we soon found our days filled with friends.  And we wouldn’t have changed a moment.

We decided to head up to Riverside Sunday morning and visit some friends and their church.  We had a wonderful time hanging all day with our friends and made new friends that literally had us laughing until we cried.

They’re currently meeting in the Life Arts Center in downtown Riverside.  This September they’re moving locations to better serve their community.

Our hotel was on the border of Little Italy.  We loved staying in that area and would do so again.  The only time we drove anywhere to eat was Sunday on our way to Riverside and Monday evening when we met friends in Old Town.  We walked a lot.

While the hotel was nifty and retro not sure we’d stay there again.  Quite loud.  But each of the rooms has a giant mural on one of the walls.  This beautiful young lady watched over us while we slept.

The hotel also had a nice view of San Diego Bay.

Outside a restaurant in Little Italy

Municipal Building – great architecture

Looking in from outside.  A little Italian grocery.  I was buying chocolate, of course.

And my paparazzi picture.

Check in tomorrow for part two, including but not limited to ocean views.

(all pictures by Shawn)

{photo credit}

If there is one thing that God has consistently been teaching me  is to not walk/operate in fear.  The desire to fear keeps showing up in so many aspects of my life.  Even when we were on vacation I feared what if something happens to the plane?  We’d be out walking and I’d fear what if someone walks up and mugs us?  What if we’re in a car accident?  This is strange because I just don’t think this way.  I don’t fret about being mugged or being in a car accident or being in a plane crash, but fear has been doing it’s best to worm its way into my mind.

God is doing some amazing things in Shawn’s and my life.  He’s guiding us in ways we didn’t know He would or think He’d take us.  In a conversation we had the other evening I said that I’m not fearful, I’ve got a kind of scared excited anxiousness going on but of all the things I could be fearful in I’m not fearful in this.

My desire in life is to be like Peter and step out of the boat onto the lake, but instead of fearing that I’ll drown once uncertainty shows up I want to trust.  I need to always remember what God has done previously.  To trust that steps we’re taking that He’s still there beside us.

About a month and a half ago fear completely grabbed my heart.  Steps that we thought God might be calling us to take literally sent me into a tailspin.  After emails back and forth with a friend and an examination of my heart there was an adjustment of my attitude.  Did that make the idea of what God could be calling us to any easier to swallow?  No, but my focus was taken off of what I could try and do, and put on what He’s done in the past and what He is faithful to do in the future.

So not only am I learning to not walk in fear, I’m learning to trust.  To lean so heavily on Him.  If I’m fearful that He’s not going to hold me us I am going to fall.  So here’s to taking steps and trusting that the next one will appear over that raging chasm.

There are nine years behind this picture.

Nine years of struggles.
Nine years of fighting for future years.
Nine years making a home.
Nine years of love.

On May 26th Shawn and I celebrated nine years of marriage.  The good times, and the bad ones.  God has blessed our marriage more than I could have dreamed.  I love this man more than I did that day when I walked down the aisle.  The things I’ve seen God do in His life & heart makes me fall for him all over again.

Saturday night, I was lying in bed waiting for the pleasant presence of sleep to overwhelm me.  I was thinking about blog posts I needed to get up.  I realized it was Sunday, May 09th, in Nagpur, India.

In the quiet of my dark bedroom, with Chihuahuas nestled in their crates I mentally began to sing:

“Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Nikita!!
Happy birthday to you!”

It was officially her birthday, though it was still May 08th in my bedroom.

Nikita, the little girl we sponsor in India through Compassion turned 10 on May 09th.

I wish I’d gotten a cupcake to split with Shawn for her.  Maybe next year.

Painting I did for Nikita for her birthday.

(watercolors on watercolor paper.  her favorite color is blue.)

जन्मदिन फलाफूला

(Happy Birthday)

My mother went through a lot of crap with me especially during my teen years (who’s didn’t?).  Things may have been difficult but she has never stopped loving me.

My mother-in-law raised three boys.  I know that in part, my husband is who he is today because of things she instilled in him when he was growing up.

Earlier this year I picked up painting as a hobby.  I decided this year to do a painting for each mom.

This one is for my mom.

This one for my mother-in-law.

Happy Mother’s Day to both the mom’s in my life.

Love – Shawn & Prudence

I know that certain dates can change your life.  Your wedding day.  The day your child is born.  The day you get that job.  However, I didn’t realize on the evening of April 30, 2009 that this date would forever change my life.

It rocketed my perspective and my desires to a completely other place than they’d ever been before.

More specifically, it took my heart and shipped it to a slum outside Nagpur, India.

On April 30, 2009 Shawn and I decided to sponsor our first child through Compassion due largely in part because of this Bloggers Trip (Anne‘s posts had my crying like a slobbering fool).  We always say that sponsoring her was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.  And we’re completely serious.  I didn’t think that sponsoring Nikita would change my life, I thought we’d change hers.  Provide her nutritious meals, schooling, health checkups, etc.  But she’s changed ours in so many ways.  They way we are choosing to live our lives.  What we find important.

Sponsoring her has made me fall in love with India.  Praying that God would redeem and save India.  That He would break apart the hierarchy of the caste system and open the eyes of the leaders to the poor dying outside their major cities.

I can’t believe she’s been apart of our lives for a year already.  We do our best to write her often and send gifts.  I want her to be the little girl that always gets something from her sponsors.

I pray for her salvation and that of her parents and two sisters and brother.  This is hugely important to me.

I wear this ring as a reminder of her.  To pray for her and her family and her friends.

She is as much part of our family as our own child would be.  Even across thousands of miles.

As part of celebrating we sent her some special gifts.

A card, a little wallet size card that reminds her she’s special, Disney Princess stickers, My Little Pony coloring pages, monkey finger puppets I found in the Target Dollar Spot, and a beautiful prayer Shawn wrote for her.

We celebrate this day with great joy and pray that we will continue to celebrate for many, many years.

Happy anniversary our dear Nikita.