con amor

http://anatomyofhate.com/

Something to think about...

What causes hate? Why do we hate? Hate involves feeling passionately about something; can we not use this same passion to discover, create, to love?

A powerful excerpt from Mike Ramsdell, the director of the film Anatomy of Hate: A Dialogue for Hope:

"However, in this 'human' process, I also found hope. Hope that if man creates hate, he can also un-create it. And indeed I met some amazing people doing just that – overcoming their cultural software to reach across 'enemy lines' and humanize the de-humanized. To meet people like this is to realize that just as the bad choices are founded on human behaviors, so are the good. And to me, that is hopeful. More than anything, I believe, it is dialogue that will move us past the barriers of fear, cultural conditioning, and stereotype thinking – into an understanding aligned with the eternal truth that we are all one. It is my highest vision that this film, and it’s core concepts, will serve as a catalyst for that dialogue. Nothing can change without understanding. Nothing will change without hope."

We need to glorify our Maker, and in Him we will find peace. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." -Romans 8:26

more updates

Our living room and the kitchen
The kitchen

The back of the house

LOVE!

Front of the house - they are moving right along!

friends

We cooked out with Swayze & Will last night - I missed them and it was so good catching up. Will's chicken was delicious!

house updates

This is our kitchen - love the bay window!

men's night out

Danny & I went to "Men's Night Out" hosted by the Madison Chamber of Commerce last week. It was a wine tasting and art show and they also had a live auction. It was off of Noah's Mill in Madison. We had a good night! This is a picture of us arriving at the party.

painting

and your worries will be gone

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7

house updates

This is what our house looks like so far. They have leveled the ground and put the stakes in and are laying the slab this week if the rain holds off. Exciting!

family

Danny and I had dinner with my sweet aunt, Mary Pat, last night at Char. We ate wayy too much and it was so good! She is in town for two weeks from Chicago - I am so glad we got to visit with her because we never get to see her :)

los angeles

So last week my mom & I went to Los Angeles to visit my sister who is living there now. We left on Wednesday and just got back a couple of days ago. I had a great time! My mom & I were on separate flights on the way there, so I didn’t land in LA until really late Wednesday night. The next day my sis had to work, so mi madre y yo explored the city all day. We went to the La Brea Tarpits (guess whose idea that was) in the morning and we drove around LA the rest of the day. That night Ashley & I went to dinner at Jones in West Hollywood (George Clooney had his birthday party here). It was good catching up with her and we ate entirely too much. The next day we took the VIP Tour of Warner Bros Studios – I love this! It was a 2 hour tour of the backlots & television sets that Warner Bros film all their tv shows on. We saw the sets, props & costumes of Gossip Girl, Two & Half Men, and a bunch of other shows. We also got to walk on stage at the Ellen Degeneres show – so cool. They showed us the elaborate set (it’s like a mini town) of the new show Eastwick which comes out this fall. We saw them designing and putting props out in the “art studio” which is where Rebecca Romign will work on the show. Loves. We also got to go in this special Harry Potter room where they have all the costumes from the HP movies – I think mi madre almost died. We also saw Clint Eastwood & George Clooney’s production studios. Fun fun fun. That night Ash & I went to eat at the Velvet Margarita – love this place! It was so fresh & eccentric. The next day we went to wine country! This was my favorite day. We drove through Santa Barbara and stopped to shop & have lunch at an outdoor café. Ok, I LOVE Santa Barbara!! Soo cute & beachy. Everyone is walking and riding bikes and the weather was perfect. Love love this city. After spending a couple of hours in Santa Barbara we finished the drive to wine country. We had to drive up the mountains which gave me a slight panic attack because I honestly thought we were going to fall off the side of the mountain. We ended up in this cute little Swedish town called Solvang. We did a few wine tastings there and then made our way to Bridlewood Winery & Vineyard. I had never been to a vineyard before and it was so beautiful. We all drank a lot of wine and took a carriage tour of the entire vineyard. Absolutely stunning. After the vineyard we drove back through Santa Barbara on the way home and stopped at this famous seafood restaurant called Brophy Brothers, which was right on the pier. By this time my sister and I had had one too many glasses of wine, but it was so fun.

Our last day we spent in Santa Monica. We spent some time in Beverly Hills on the way there, and stopped to shop a little before getting to Santa Monica. We stayed in a hotel on the beach, pero mi madre wasn't feeling good so she stayed in the hotel room while my sis & I walked down to the Santa Monica pier and the promenade. We ended up shopping and doing happy hour at this fun outdoor restaurant/bar (wish I could remember the name!)...time flew by way too fast and we spent the rest of the night walking the promenade and bar hopping. Flight the next morning was at 6am which meant get to LAX at 4:45am. Died.

We had so much fun & I can't wait to see my sis in September!