light from the shadows

:: the pipers :: a preview ::

2009-11-23T12:25:00.001-08:00

a few weeks ago, the pipers gave me a call and asked if i'd be available to do a family portrait session with them before the winter cold set in. i was thrilled. they are such a photogenic family, and even though it felt like winter had already come the day of the shoot, they were great sports.

i've been out sick for almost two weeks now, so they've also shown great patience with me as i wait for this well-overstayed cold to pass. in the meantime, here's a few shots to share with friends and family over the holiday vacation, and i can't wait to finish the rest for you...

:: parker thomas gee ::

2009-08-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

most of you know about the birth of our son, parker thomas gee. but some of you may not know just how adorable he is. so here are a few pics to help convince you of how good looking he is:

:: monica @ 38 weeks ::

2009-08-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

After a bit of prompting and a streak of good weather, Monica and I were able to get out into our backyard and take some more prego pics. Monica is now 38 weeks along - and ready to be done! We can't wait to see our son. But before the delivery, we wanted to get out and take one last set of pics to show just how beautiful and stylish momma is. I love these pics. And I love my wife. I hope you enjoy the pics as much as we do, and we can't wait to see you all soon!

peter & laura anniversary session :: preview

2009-07-27T07:15:00.001-07:00

Peter and Laura recently celebrated their anniversary. As a gift to each other, they called me up to shoot some anniversary portraits downtown. I LOVE shooting downtown, so I couldn't wait for this session. What I didn't expect was how awesome Peter and Laura were in front of the camera. Their love and passion for each other bleeds through each image. So, Peter and Laura, here are a few shots from our time downtown. More to come later, of course ::

What's Cookin' in Our Kitchen

2009-07-15T13:28:00.001-07:00

I posted this picture over on my craft blog, but thought y'all might appreciate an update too! We are in the house and the last big project is underway. The kitchen cabinets arrived on Monday and can you believe they are already looking this GREAT? That's Brian and Pop hard at work -- actually, they are working as a type! I can feel the 'ceiling' (I'm in the basement, so technically it is the floor!) vibrate as they drill away. Anyway, isn't it looking lovely?

Before the Dust Settles

2009-06-24T19:20:00.001-07:00

I know what y'all really want to see is pics of the new place, but it is still under construction! We've been homeowners for a little over three weeks now and have been hard at work ripping out wood paneling (really, if you are considering putting paneling in, just don't), tearing down walls, putting up drywall, spackling, putting up moulding, caulking, sanding, painting, etc. We've had the amazingly generous help of both Brian's mom and grandpa - which means we are nearing the end of destruction/reconstruction.

But, until then, I thought I'd share some pics of our soon-to-be-old apartment here in Wheaton. We've loved living here, and it is fun to reminisce on all the good times we've enjoyed in these rooms. Hope this will tide you over until we get some pics of the new place up and running!

Our Little Boy

2009-05-16T09:38:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you who haven't heard the news yet--we are having a baby boy!! Brian took some pictures (crafty fellow even snuck into a few of them!) of me that we thought you'd enjoy. I'm about to complete my 24th week which puts me at 6 months pregnant. Just a few more months to go . . .

Becoming Homeowners

2009-04-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

This little charmer may be the future home of the Gee Family!
We've still got a little ways to go until closing, but we are well on our way to buying this bungalow and making it into our first home!

A Weekend Getaway

2009-04-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we decided to take a breather from our busy schedules. We spent one night in the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago. We took the train after Monica got off work and checked into our hotel. Our room was on floor 36 and had a great view of the backside of Millenium Park.

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner on Rush St. at Carmine's Rosebud Restaurant. Then went to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor of the John Hancock. After a fabulous view of the city skyline and some s'mores we headed back to our hotel and had a good night's rest in our King Size Bed. Saturday was just pure fun! We went to Lincoln Park and enjoyed the free conservatory . . .

. . . the zoo . . .

. . . the Chicago History Museum, a movie, and then dinner with a dear friend. Brian took some fun photos of the Chicago night and then we headed back home.

Short but sweet!

Competency Exam

2009-04-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Brian faced several hours of Competency Exams to complete his MA program. We just found out yesterday that he passed!

Now just two more final papers and three more weeks of class and Brian will officially graduate. Congratulations, honey!

Our 20 Week Ultrasound

2009-04-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the pics...still no gender: it wasn't exactly that cooperative as it kept its legs crossed the whole time! Because of that, Monica thinks that we are probably having a very polite girl! (Click on the picture to enlarge it!)UPDATE: Ok, for those of you who like a little more information, I thought I'd expand on Brian's original post. If you are like me and can't really make heads or tails (well, hopefully not tails, that would be weird) of an ultrasound, here is the scoop. The first picture is baby facing the camera. The dark area on the right, I believe, is baby's brain. You can sort of make out two alien-like eyes (no insult to baby, that is just the way these things look!). Baby is on its left side and you can see the body off to the left. If you can make out a little round circle towards the top, that is the baby's hand. Like Brian said, the baby wasn't exactly cooperative during the whole ultrasound so it was difficult to get a good shot. We did get to see fingers, toes, a little bum, and all sorts of internal organs. Good stuff! On to pictures 2 and 3. These are pretty much the same, but I think #3 is a little clearer. Baby has moved onto its back and you can make out its little profile pretty well. These ones needs a little less explanation!

So, our baby is weighing in at about 12 oz and is right on target for its age. The heart rate was 156, so you can speculate how you wish on the gender based on that information! At my next visit the doctor will do a quick check again to see if we can get a clearer picture of the gender, but if not we'll be happy to wait (that's scheduled for May 13th for those of you who are counting!). As much as we'd like to know now, it is just a huge blessing that our baby seems to be in perfect health and is growing exactly like its supposed to. We are so thankful for that!

OK, I've got a lot of other things to write about since "change" seems to be the theme in the Gee household these days. I'll try to update soon and let you know the goings-on!

:: my wonderful wife at 18 weeks ::

2009-04-05T17:06:00.001-07:00

A Day in a Life

2009-03-05T20:28:00.000-08:00

We're back from our travels (they actually only lasted a total of 30 hours!) but have been pretty busy since we returned. Brian was able to take a lot of fun photos at the wedding and we got to catch up with some old friends from TMC. It was such a blessing to be a part of it all! Brian wants to edit some of the photos, but will probably get them posted eventually. Most of his time has been consumed with web design, editing, accounting, photography, and oh yeah, homework. He is one busy dude!

In the mean time, Monica's got a busy little bun in the oven. We had our 14 week ultrasound (this means the start of the 2nd trimester, woohoo!) on Monday and got to see our growing baby. It is just amazing how much they grow each time! We weren't expecting another ultrasound, but our doctor said, "Why not? You are here anyway" and we didn't turn him down. I want to see that little kid every chance I get! After a quick look at the baby the doctor announced "That's one healthy kid." That's just what we like to hear. Like before, baby is a mover and a shaker (although Monica isn't feeling any movement yet) and we weren't able to get a great shot. But, here is the little one a lot bigger than last time. Throughout the course of the ultrasound we could see him/her moving his/her arms and could even make out little fingers. 6 more weeks until the gender ultrasound - we can't wait!

Sorry for the greasy finger prints to the right, I guess I was enjoying my french fries a little too much when admiring this picture! Ok, here is the scoop, baby's head is to the right and we are pretty sure he/she is on his/her back. You can kind of make out the legs and feet to the left, but its not super clear. I'm starting to get the faintest hint of a baby belly, so we may be posting pictures of that soon. Enjoy!

Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?

2009-02-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

This weekend we are making a small trip to the more southern regions of our country. To us, pretty much everything seems like the South, but I'm pretty sure Louisville, KY does actually qualify. We'll be celebrating the wedding of Brian's college friend Jeff Mixon. Hopefully we'll have a few pictures to share from the adventure. It's a quick trip, but with snow in the forecast it might take a little longer than normal. I'm just excited to go to a new state. At least, I think its a new one. I may have slept through it on a family trip 10 years ago, but that doesn't really count anyway. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Baby Gee

2009-02-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Some of you know by now that we are expecting a little one to join our family on September 1, 2009. If you know your pregnancy math (which takes a little getting use to!), that means that I am almost on week 11 with our little kumquat (pregnancy books like to compare the size of the baby with fruit). As this is a semi-photography/semi-personal blog, we thought it would be fitting to share the first pictures of our baby with you all. Yep, you guessed it - ultrasounds!

Here is baby Gee at week 6 - heartbeat already going strong and mama starting to feel queasy. Baby is that small little dot - about 2mm long!
And here is baby Gee at week 10. Most of the big organ systems are developed and baby has gone through a growth spurt and is now 1.2 inches long! It's no surprise then that mama's been feeling nauseous and tired for the past month! Baby's head is to the left, you can see the little arms reaching up, and the little legs to the right. Baby has already inherited daddy's restlessness and wouldn't sit still for a good picture. Heartbeat is at 168!
We'll keep you all updated as the weeks progress. I look pretty much the same for now, so there won't be any baby bump pictures for a little while!

It's Been Frosty Lately!

2009-01-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

A Week of Class

2009-01-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were wondering what Brian has been up to this week, this picture might help explain.

Brian has preparing for his Winter class that starts tomorrow. He has been hunkered down, reading page after page of The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology. It makes him go a little loopy, but I guess that is just standard procedure for the MA student!

A Quick Look Back

2008-12-31T06:45:00.001-08:00

Everyone seems to be doing the "2008 Year in Review" post, so why should we try to be any different? 2008 has really flown by, but we managed to cram a whole lot in there.

This past year:

We faced (and survived) our first winter in Chicagoland

We attended a Bull's game (and sat in box seats!)

We went to the Shedd Auqarium

We fell more in love with Chicago

Monica started seeing a new doctor who has really helped

Monica worked on the ESV Study Bible

Brian went to the Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville, KY

Monica started a purse making business

Brian completed year one of his MA degree

Brian came down with mono

We went to a Cubs game with Monica's parents

We celebrated 2 years of marriage

Brian's grandparents and parents came to visit

We took a vacation to Michigan

Monica turned 24

Monica's dear friend from CA came to visit

Brian grew his photography business

Monica's sister and brother-in-law came to visit

We went to CA for Brian's sister's wedding

Brian started year two of his MA degree

Brian helped co-lead our Young Married's Bible Study

Monica's brother-in-law came to IL on a Marine Band Tour

Monica went to the True Woman Conference with her mom

Monica went to the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, RI

Brian's parents, sister, and brother-in-law came out for Thanksgiving (which Monica cooked)

Brian turned 23

Brian finished up his second to last semester in the MA program

We went to CA to celebrate Christmas with our families

And that pretty much brings us up to date! There have been so many other little things that have contributed to this past year, and so many things that can't be quantified or summed up in a short sentence. But afterall, this post isn't called "A Long and Lengthy Look Back". We are bringing in the New Year by celebrating with some of our close friends. There are so many things we are looking forward to in 2009, but for now, we give thanks and praise to our God for his goodness and faithfulness to us. It is such a comfort to know that we can trust him with our past, present, and future, knowing that none of it is without purpose. We seek to continue to love each other and glorify God each day in 2009.

Happy New Year!

3 Years

2008-12-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

Time is such a strange thing. As you go through each day you think time is moving so slowly, and then one day you wake up and realize that 3 years have quickly slipped by. (And, no, I'm not talking about how long it has been since we've updated!) Do you know what happened 3 years ago today? Brian Scott Gee asked me to be his bride. I am still amazed that he decided to choose me! What an amazing privilege it is to be Mrs. Gee.

This pic wasn't taken the day we were engaged, but only a week or two after. I love that three years later we still look at each other the same way. Well, not exactly the same, we love each other even more!

Bolsa Chica

2008-11-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that I (Monica) have a little side business for making purses and other fabric goodies. But, just in case you didn't know the details, I have an online shop and also a crafty blog that tells a little bit more about what I do. Just thought you might like to take a look:

Bolsa Chica online store
Bolsa Chica blog

Thanks! :-)

Weekend Trip to Chi-Town

2008-11-03T15:26:00.001-08:00

Due to popular demand (OK, it was one request - we don't keep our standards too high around here!) we are posting some pictures from a short weekend trip we took to Chicago. In the middle of October Brian reached the half way point in his semester. That meant two of his classes finished and one new class started. We decided that was a good reason to celebrate! A mini-weekend trip was in order. It just so happened, that same weekend some of our good (generous, giving, hospitable, etc.) friends were going to be out of town and offered to let us stay in their adorable Chicago apartment. This fit in very well with our budget, so we decided to take them up on the offer. Thank you Suttons for making our little weekend trip possible - we loved staying in your place! :-)

The pictures aren't terribly exciting, we were mainly just enjoying spending time together, trying a few new restaurants, and leisurely exploring new parts of Chicago. We knew we were in for a great weekend when we walked in the door to find this.

I have never felt so welcomed - Kirra, you could definitely give the Four Seasons a run for their money! You are a way better concierge than I've ever experienced in a hotel! After a late night chic-flick (thanks hubby for bearing with your sentimental wife!), we slept in and enjoyed our morning, taking in all the sights and sounds of a downtown Chicago apartment.

As you can tell, I was really excited!

Then we headed over to Lincoln Park to explore the cute neighborhood, the FREE Lincoln Park Zoo, and an amazing restaurant recommended by some friends. Here are some pictures from those endeavors.

Exploring an apes behavior.

I think he was trying to imitate a zebra. Words really can't describe.

Ah. Chi-town in the Fall.

Me and my new lion buddies. Here I am thinking something along the lines of: "I get to see lions for free? Are you kidding? This is awesome!"

We finished off with a lunch at Oven Grinders - a must visit for you Chicagoans!

Sorry there are so many pictures of me - after all, I am married to the photographer! The rest of the weekend we put away the camera and just enjoyed ourselves. Hope you enjoyed some snap shots of our Chicago get-away!

:: eli & allison :: e-session ::

2008-10-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

i have to say a big thank you to eli & alli for their wonderful patience for the rest of their photos! i had a great time, and i hope you guys really enjoy your photos. i can't wait for your wedding that will be here soon! click here to see the full gallery on the geefamily photography website. if family or friends would like to order some or all of these prints, online ordering should be up within a day or so (i'll post an update on this post to let you know). here a sampling...

again, to see the full gallery, click here.

True Woman '08

2008-10-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last 3 days at the True Woman '08 conference with my mom (visiting from CA). What an incredible time of refreshment, encouragement, and conviction. I am not sure if I can even begin to describe what a blessing this time has been to me. Thanks mama (and dad!) for making this possible and for coming to the conference with me. I've been just as encourage by my time with you as with the worship, prayer, and teaching at the conference. What a blessing!

Here are a few (very few!) snapshots from the conference:

When we first arrived at the conference, there were these great tote bags on each of our seats. Not only are the bags practical, they were filled with everything we would need for the conference: a pen, program, free resources, tissues [after all it is a woman's conference], etc.

There were also several vendors at the conference, providing various applicable resources. I've been wanting this book for awhile, so I was so thankful to find it here and to get it signed by the author, Carolyn McCulley.

The first 2 sessions we sat on our own, but we managed to hook up with some ladies from Grace Church for the last 2 sessions and sat with them - 4 rows from the front! It was so awesome to get to worship alongside the women who have welcomed me into their families for the past year.

OK, the lighting isn't great, but here we are! This is before the last session, so we were pretty tired by that point. Other than going back to our hotel to sleep, we only had one other break the whole time! We were feeling "rump-sprung" by the end, but it was all worth it!

After the last session, we were given the opportunity to sign the True Woman Manifesto in affirmation of the challenges we had received over the course of the conference. You should check it out!

Weekend Visitors

2008-10-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

We had quite a fun weekend with some visitors who came in from the City. Taylor and Kirra Sutton came out for a short little trip to the suburbs. I haven't had a chance to look through some of the pictures Brian took from Saturday, but our friends have a nice little write up about the visit on their blog. (By the way, there is one picture of me looking at some of the Flea Market items and you might notice that my hair is looking a bit different. I got a haircut on Thursday and am loving the darker, shorter look. Maybe Brian will posts some other pictures of the new-do!)

Yesterday we (just Brian and I) took a little adventure over to Long Grove, IL. They have an Apple Festival there in the Fall, and we thoroughly enjoyed the festivities. The weather has turned much cooler in the past week, so we had fun pulling out some of our warmer clothes. When we first arrived at the Apple Festival it was raining so we quickly found a place to eat lunch and wait out the storm. We found the Village Tavern and had a great meal.

(Picture from the website, not GeeFamily Photography)

In the end, the weather cleared up and we were able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. We waited in line at the Apple Haus for awhile - but it was totally worth the wait! We scarfed down our apple-inspired-goodies and explored the cute historic downtown of Long Grove. One Hot Apple Cider, one Caramel White Chocolate covered Apple, one Caramel Apple Pie, and one Apple Donut all amounts to one very good time!

By the way, you won't see any of our pictures from this event because Brian decided to play with his film camera. It was feeling a bit neglected, so he took it for a little spin!

Our Favorite Marine

2008-09-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the privilege of seeing our favorite Marine, Alex Panos, perform with the San Diego Marine Band at the Wheaton Bandshell in downtown Wheaton. Of all places in the US, the band our brother-in-law is in comes to our town! What are the odds? We were very thankful for the opportunity to visit with Alex, and to see the band in concert. Alex has been a Marine for 2 years, but we've never been able to see him play. It was a fun (and patriotic!) evening! Here are some snapshots of the event.

Visiting with Alex before the concert

No Marine concert would be complete without this guy

No photo session with Brian would be complete with out pictures of me! :-)

The "Party Band" doing their thing!

Yup, the arrow says it all - that's him in the back with the trombone!

Thankfully, Alex also had a little time off today, so we were able to take him out to a nice dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery and for a walk around Naperville (with a trip to Cookie Dough Creations, of course!). Sadly, he is heading out tomorrow so we had to cut our visit short. All-in-all it was a blessing to get to see him and makes us look forward to any other visitors that might be heading our way! Fall is in the air and it is a great time to come see our corner of the US! :-)

A Meadows' Legacy

2008-09-13T19:51:00.001-07:00

My grandparents, Lee and Jean Meadows, have lived an incredible life. I have been entertained on many occasions listening to the various stories from their past. I have often bragged to others that my grandparents have the most interesting family history. When we were out in CA about a month ago, I had the privilege of spending an hour with my grandparents and catching up on life. Brian was able to snap a few photos of the visit, and I think they perfectly portray the strength, humor, and romance of this couple. (By the way these are unedited, but due to Brian's heavy homework schedule he just hasn't had the time to fuss with these photos. They are still amazing!)

A classic shot of granddaugther and grandparents. Have I mentioned I am named after my grandma? (My middle name is Jean.) I love this expression on my grandpa (affectionately called "Baca" by my sister and I). Can you tell that he was a career marine?

I wish I could explain how hard I was laughing in this photo. In order to achieve a more natural smile, Baca always start laughing when getting his picture taken. It just cracks me up!

Over 60 years of marriage and they've still got it!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture. Does it get any better than this? I only hope someday my grandchildren will have a picture of Brian and I that looks like this!

To my dear grandparents - I love you both so much and am so thankful you took the time to let us come visit you. You have been such an example to me in living a full life, being generous, loving your family, loving each other, striving through hard times, and remaining faithful to God through it all. I love you!!

September Update

2008-09-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well you might think we have fallen off the face of the Earth, but really, it is more like Brian has been buried beneath a mountain of earth! Brian's fall schedule is a busy one - with thousands of pages of reading, many papers, translation, etc. he will be a busy guy for the next few months!

. eli & allison e-session :: preview .

2008-08-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

a few weeks before leaving for cali, i was asked to shoot an engagement session for eli & allison. i've known eli for years, so it was really a privilege to meet his fiancee, allison. it was even more of a joy to spend a couple hours with them going around town and looking for cool spots to take some shots. this couple loves to laugh! so this session was so much fun! thanks, eli & allison, for letting me capture these moments. here's a few preview pictures i was able to get done today. i'll let everyone know when the full set is up!

. back home .

2008-08-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

well, after an eventful several days out west, we are back home. we had a great time with all of our friends and family, and i had a great time shooting both a wedding and an engagement session. so i'll be tucked away here in the office for some time, but hopefully i'll be able to sneak a few images onto the blog today or tomorrow.

. out in cali .

2008-08-13T18:06:00.001-07:00

sorry for the extended silence. monica and i are in cali this week visiting families. i'm getting ready to shoot an engagement session for one couple and then a wedding for my sister - so exciting! we'll update with some trip picks when we get back. for some sweet surf pics as a nice diversion until i post again, check out this guys website by clicking here. his name is daniel franks and i met him down at san o. (for my chicago friends, that's a so-cal surf spot). until next time - keep it real.

. the halls .

2008-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

yesterday i was given the privilege of spending two hours with the hall family. justin & gretchen are missionaries in Albania but have spent the summer here in the states awaiting their daughter's birth. well, she arrived six weeks ago, and she is adorable. the halls are such an awesome couple, and they were a pleasure to talk and laugh with as we strolled throughout the alleys and back ways of Wheaton. their two kids are beautiful. so here's a few pics from the session. to see the full gallery, click here. justin & gretchen, it really was an honor.

. not just the blog .

2008-08-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

with thanks to my wife, i have been made aware that i don't have a link to my main site which is what has been completely redone! so click here to visit: GeeFamily Photography. i just got back from shooting a family session with some missionaries from our church and their new baby. i'm super excited to get some pics up over the next day or two, so stay tuned!

. real people . real moments .

2008-08-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

i know what you're thinking - again?! yep. i guess i was simply not absolutely thrilled with the (newly) old site. more importantly, it lacked the phrase that defines GeeFamily Photography. but that phrase and purpose is now clearly stated. we're about building relationships so that we can capture those moments that define who we are and what we're all about. so enjoy the new site (i love it!).

Lazy Summer Days

2008-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

These past two weekends have just been wonderful. The weeks have been particularly busy, so it has been so nice and relaxing to have open schedules on the weekends. Last week I spent a good portion of Saturday and Sunday curled up in a hammock in the back yard, enjoying the beautiful summer weather, a Blended Strawberry Lemonade from Starbucks, and a good book. I decided that since Brian has been posting book reviews that I should too! This one won't be terribly profound, but after all, a good book is something worth talking (or blogging) about.

This past weekend I took a mini-vacation to the world of Jane Austen. I've only been reading Austen for the past year, so I still haven't read many of her most famous works. Last year I read Pride and Prejudice and Emma -- the book for this past weekend was Sense and Sensibility. I was pleasantly surprised to see how different this book was from the previous two I mentioned. I have enjoyed each of the books, but felt like they might be a little too predictable. I did not find that the case at all in Sense and Sensibility. I really had no idea who was going to end up with who until the very end! Although the love stories can be a little monotonous, I found the two main female characters in this book very interesting. I see so much of myself in them that it provided a point of introspection.

Elinor is the sensible, older sister. She is described as possessing a "strength of understanding, and a coolness of judgment, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother . . . her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them." The other main female character is Marianne, her younger sister. Her "Abilities were, in many respects, quite equal to Elinor's. She was sensible and clever; but eager in every thing; her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation. She was generous, amiable, interesting: she was every thing but prudent." At one point, Marianne found herself heartbroken and Austen's description of this provides a picture of this description: "This violent oppression of spirits continued the whole evening. She was without any power, because she was without any desire of command over herself. The slightest mention of any thing relative to Willoughby overpowered her in an instant."

The contrast between the two is clearly exaggerated. I find myself somewhere in between these two girls. I am generally sensible, and yet there are times when I am overwhelmed by emotion. By the end of the book Marianne has mellowed significantly, both by an intense illness and by seeing the benefits of her elder sisters sensibility. This book takes place devoid of any talk of God, but the spiritual implications are not hard to find. There is good sense in governing ones own emotions, but there is even more significance to not being ruled by ones passions but rather subjecting them to God's will. I am reminded of my own need to submit everything to God and to find joy in him regardless of my fleeting emotions. All in all, I found this book very enjoyable and a good study in human nature. I would highly recommend it!

Putting Some Swing In It!

2008-07-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

So last Friday Monica and I had an awesome time at a little young married's party that some friends hosted! Why? Because we learned how to swing dance! We've wanted to learn some sort of dance for some time, so when this came along, we were really excited! Our friends Peter and Laura have been taking lessons for some time now (they are really good!), so they offered to teach us all some moves! It was awesome, and we picked it up pretty fast. Thanks, Peter and Laura, for an awesome time! Here's some (low-res) photos; if anyone wants higher res for a print, just e-mail me at briansgee@gmail.com :)...

In other news, I'm sitting on top of a pile of photos to edit - from trips, visitors, friends, but it's end of month at work so I'll be spending some time on that over the next few days...hopefully I'll be able to also post a few photos every couple of days :), but thanks for your patience!

More to come soon...

2008-07-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being so quiet lately on the blog. We've both been extremely busy with work the past week or so. Brian has been doing some freelance work for Crossway and Monica has been under the gun to get everything done for the release of the ESV Study Bible in October. Just in case you'd like to take a look at what that release entails, check out www.ESVStudyBible.org. It's AWESOME!

Nikki & Jake

2008-07-09T20:55:00.001-07:00

For me, photography is always an emotional process. I long to bring out those deep-seated feelings of love, tenderness, joy, happiness, thoughtfulness, and romance. Throw family into that mix, and I find myself on the verge of being a bit choked up. Nikki, my sister, is getting married to Jake in just over a month. Although these pictures were taken over a year ago, I was able to track down the original files and re-edit them. Having just watched the gallery on my website for the first time all set to music, I think I feel comfortable enough to say that these photos reflect some of those inner emotions both in myself and between Nikki and Jake. I hope you enjoy them. Here's a sample below...

To view the entire gallery, click here. To view the GeeFamily Photography Home Page, click here.

Vacation's All I Ever Wanted - Pt. 2

2008-07-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the second installement of our vacation: day 2! Thursday was filled with a mishmash of relaxing and touring. We started our day with our first delicious breakfast cooked by the owner of the B&B, Bob. After eating, we set out for Holland, MI, a dutch town about thirty minutes north of South Haven. We have some friends who grew up and went to college there, so we figured we stop in on their hometown (even though they now live in Wheaton) and look around.

The downtown was so cute! We walked from storefront to storefront. Monica picked out an awesome necklace, and I found a violin-crafter's shop - apparantly a rather well known violin maker from the Netherlands. Henning was kind enough to let me fiddle around a bit and we chatted with he and his wife for awhile. After grabbing a cup of coffee, we set out for "Windmill Island", the home of the only operating Dutch windmill in America (i.e., the only windmill that still grinds wheat, complete with the only Holland [the country] certified master miller!). The whole thing was kinda touristy, but for 7 bucks, it was a lot of fun and pretty interesting as we even got a tour of the windmill. All in all, Holland is a beautiful city with a good deal of fun things to see and do!

After grabbing a quick lunch, we went back to South Haven and laid out for several hours at the beach. We even managed to avoid getting burnt! After a pizza dinner, we headed out to the lighthouse at the end of the pier where I couldn't help but take some pictures of my be-a-utiful wife! Finally, we ended our day back where we ended it the day before - at Sherman's. I was a lot wiser this time and only ordered a single scoop!

So that was day two! Here are the photos...

The Violin Shop

Henning and Me with a Viola He Made in 1957 Monica's Super Cute Necklace!

Downtown Holland

Monica and Yet Another Friend...I Knew He Was A Mischievious Fellow!
Hand-Carved Wooden Horses from a Dutch Carousel at Windmill Island
At Windmill Island...

Ah Yes, the Clogs...Thank Goodness These Never Caught On!
This Pic Speaks For Itself!
An Old Dutch Traveling Organ
The Windmill

...With an Underwhelming "Authentic" Dutch Dance
They All Look Like They're Loving Being There...
A Cool Shadow...
Inside the Windmill...

Us at the End of the Pier

And, Of Course, My Hottie Wife!

At Sunset...

An Explanation of Summer Reading

2008-07-03T07:03:00.001-07:00

I'm not the fastest reader in the world (even in grad school!). My wife is. Thus, it is always an accomplishment when I finish some book and move on to another. I've made it a goal to work on that this summer, so I'm trying to have something to read before my eyes at all times. A mix of fiction, biography, and non-fiction seems to be the best combination - hey, it's summer, you have to read something fun!

That being said, I've just completed my first summer book, one that Taylor Sutton recommended I read a few months back. It's called The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It's a historical fiction book that tells the true stories of two men who each impacted the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (a.k.a. World's Columbian Exposition) in very different ways. It has been an enthralling read. I love Chicago. I love Chicago history more. And this book is replete with the stories and tales of a largely forgotten event that, in its day, was one of the most significant achievements of Chicago and America that the world had ever seen. What's more, all of the quotes in the book are taken from actual letters and newspaper articles written by the actual characters/newspapers from those days. Larson masterfully combines meticulous research with biting whit and humor to contrast the stories of the Exposition's head architect, Daniel Burnham (perhaps the most famous architect of the late 1800's/early 1900's) and America's first mass murderer, Dr. H. H. Holmes, who lived just blocks from the World's Fair when it was going on. The two men never met, but their lives and actions both profoundly affected the course of American history, even up to the present day. If you like a great story, some excellent history, and an overall fun read, this is the book for you!

Turning from that, I've now begun reading Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George M. Marsden. This biography of the greatest American Theologian and Philosopher has received excellent reviews from everyone I've talked to, and I've been wanting to read it for some time now. It's definitely a little bit more heady than the book above, but still very accesible by all audiences. What's more, it's spiritually profitable. I'm only 30-something pages into the text but have been challenged by the ways that the puritans thought and acted in their own time. The style is comfortable and the material strikes a good balance between narrative and biographical styles, so it's very easy to get lost in its pages. I'll give a more full review of the book when I've completed it.

For now, I'd recommend putting down the remote and picking up one of these, or any other, books and enjoy the oft-forgotten playground that is your mind.

Vacation's All I Ever Wanted - Pt. 1

2008-07-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ah, yes, and many more like this one below!

As promised, I've gone through and sorted some of my favorite pics from our first day of vacation to make this post. So here's a quick summary of the day followed by the pictures...

We left on what was a very stormy morning last Wednesday around noon (CST) and arrived at our Bed & Breakfast, the Victoria Resort, in South Haven, MI around 1:30 (EST). Though it was still raining when we drove up to the Inn, the storms passed within about twenty minutes - the last we'd be bothered with rain for the whole vacation! Soon after unpacking, we went down to check out the local beach that was a short block-and-a-half from our B&B. With the raindrops still fresh on the trees and sand, it was a gorgeous view from all around. We walked along the shoreline towards the pier for a while and just enjoyed being by the beach once again. For our Chicago readers, this is an awesome beach getaway spot! We would return to this beach almost every day of our trip, and the weather would oblige our efforts to relax (more on that in the next post).

After cleaning off our feet from the still-moist sand, we trecked into town for dinner at Clementines, a local joint that is famous for their hand-battered onion rings. During our (long) wait to be seated (it's a really popular place), we walked around the downtown distric and stopped in at some of the local shops. They were cool, but no different from the small shops in places like Laguna, or even downtown Wheaton. Finally our table was ready. And let me tell you - the wait was worth it. The onion rings were the best Monica and I have ever had (I know...I'm making you hungry...I'm making myself hungry, too!). Golden. Crispy. A non-soggy onion in the middle. Incredible.

Finally, we drove to a famous MI ice cream shop that happens to have their warehouse in South Haven called Sherman's. Not only are they famous for their Ice Cream flavors (like Mackinac Island Fudge or Sherman Tracks), but this particular location is also famous for their portions. Let's just say that I (the indominable ice cream fiend) would not recommend getting a double scoop (see below).

So that's Day 1! Enjoy the picks...

Our First Greeter - Oreo!

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At the Beach...

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Monica's Famous "Retarded Chicken" Walk Back From the Beach...Hilarious!

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Some Pics From Around the B&B

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Around Downtown - The Dome is the Top of Clementine's

The Harbor & Lighthouse from Downtown
Monica's Turtle Friend
Her Other Friend...
Clementine's!!!

Yup, They're That Good...
And, Last But Not Least, Sherman's...(Cue Music)...Here's My Double Scoop!
This Is Where I Realized I Had Made A Mistake...
It Wouldn't End...
But Now My Pride Is At Stake, So I Have To Finish...
Ahh...the last bite!

At This Point I'm Probably Just as Much the "Blue Moo" as the Cow Is!

A Little Tanner and A Lotta Relaxed!

2008-06-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

We're back, and we could not have asked for a nicer, more relaxing vacation! We are so thankful for God's provision of this time for us to go away for awhile and enjoy some much needed rest. I'll be making a few posts over the next few days with some thoughts (and of course lots of pics) from the trip.

We're Off!

2008-06-25T10:24:00.001-07:00

We're off on vacation through Sunday, so we'll see you after that!

Weekend Fun!

2008-06-24T19:44:00.001-07:00

As promised, here's a little longer recap of the past few days and all the fun (and craziness) we've had!

Monica was busy making purses last week in order to get ready for a craft show up in Round Lake Beach, IL - about an hour and ten minute drive north of us (and close to the WI border). For those who don't know, my crafty wife has been making her own line of designer, handmade purses for several months now. She even has an online shop (click here to visit the shop). At her first craft show a few months ago, we sat next to a couple who make adorable baby products (well, the wife, Rhyah makes them!). We all hit it off immediately as we're all similar in age, life-stage, etc. Well, Rhyah found this next craft show and asked Monica if she'd like to share a booth. And that's the story.

[On an aside, Rhyah's business is called BabyTopia. It's worth checking out! Click here to go to her store. Below are some pictures of her products.]

The first day of the fair, the ladies were crammed into a darker corner that lacked much traffic. It's probably an understatement to say that no sales the first day was rather discouraging. But Monica and Rhyah found out that another booth in a great spot was open, so they moved there the next day.

The Old Spot:

The New Spot:

What a difference! Monica ended up selling 5 bags on Sunday! Even so, the conversations from both days were a lot of fun and totally worth the trip. Oh, the gyros that we found at a place called Papagus on the way home on Saturday made it worth it, too!

After those two exhausting days, we came home and have been scrambling to get things ready for our vacation (we leave tomorrow!). In the midst of that, a lady called who had gotten Monica's card from Joann's Fabric Store. She needed some emergency embroidery for a craft project. Monica accepted the work and we were both up late last night working on the project. That was fun, too, but we were definitely exhausted today! Exhaustion aside, God has blessed us with these extra side jobs, and it's fun to see how he is using them!

So that's a longer recap of the weekend and early week. Now we're off to South Haven, Michigan for our vacay, and we are praying for some much needed rest and a good battery recharge for both of us. We'd love your prayers along those lines, too. Have a good week!

Rushing Around!

2008-06-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend and beginning on the week. We're getting ready for our vacation (we leave tomorrow!), but everything have been really crazy leading up to it! Hopefully I'll post a few pics from the last few days before we leave, but pray that all of the preparations and everything that needs to get done will get done in the next day or so. Thanks all!

Cookie Monster on Colbert

2008-06-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

Justin Taylor just posted a link to an interview of N.T. Wright by Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report. That interview is both funny and interesting (it's around the 10th minute or so), so I'd also recommend checking it out. But if you rewind a bit, there's a hilarious skit on the less-than-spiritual side with Sesame Street's Cookie Monster around the 7th minute. It's also worth the time :)

Here's the link: http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=173610.

ht: Justin Taylor

Panda Wisdom and Something to Come

2008-06-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I've ran into a couple of random products/advertisements that made me scratch my head and wonder what sort of primates were hired for these projects. I must be in the wrong business. With that, I'll leave you with your moments of zen...

Panda Wisdom. Just in case you can't read the slip of fortune, it says, "You have an accurate and professional mind". Yup. Wisdom for the ages.

This is a bumper sticker that came in an advertisement mailing for a local insurance company. Not sure what they were thinking, but if you actually put this on the back of your car, it sort of strikes me as a flashing billboard for cops to pull you over and actually check your insurance. Sheer genius.

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In other news, Monica has a craft show this weekend, so she's been busy crafting new purses for the event. I've been trying to finish all the work on my plate b/f we leave for vacation next week. But, time permitting, I'm hoping to have the next gallery up on the website: Nikki and Jake 2.0! For now, here's a couple samples of their re-edited and textured pictures that will appear in their gallery. Oh, and perhaps another textured image of Emily that I did last night...Oh how I love textures! Have a great friday!

Our High King

2008-06-19T07:45:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of the cross over the last couple of months. Spurred on by messages given at the Together for the Gospel conference as well as subsequent conversations with friends, I've been challenged to view the cross as something sweet in and of itself. Not as an object of worship or reverance, but for what it stands for - something much greater than just death.

The cross is a cosmic crossroad. It is at the cross that God's love met God's wrath most powerfully. There was no more glorifying and loving thing that God could do on that day than to pour out his wrath upon his Son. And there is no greater obedience and trust and love for the Father than when Jesus cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" The cross is no form of abuse. As Packer writes in In My Place Condemned He Stood, "[T]he three distinct persons within the divine unity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - always work inseparably together, as in creation, so in providence and in every aspect of the work of redemption...[A]ll this was planned by the holy Three in their eternal solidarity of mutual love...[T]he Father's central purpose in it all was and is to glorify and exalt the Son as Savior and Head of a new humanity," [emphasis mine]. Redemption was planned from eternity past in order to glorify the Son as Savior and the Father through the Son.

What's more (and the aspect that really has me excited), the cross itself is not a means to an end when it comes to God revealing his character. It is the end. In all of human history, there was never intended to be and will never be again a more magnificent display of God's glory and the love of Father for Son and Son for Father than on the cross. The cross is the point to look to see God's glory most fully displayed. We look nowhere else. Do you want to see God's magnificent glory? Look to the cross. Though his glory is manifested in other ways, the cross is the summation and capstone and end and greatest display of God's glory. As my friend Chris McGarvey wrote in an e-mail,

"The Fall was ordained by God because the Cross was ordained by God because the purpose of God in creation (and new creation – which was also ordained from before the foundations of the world) was the fullness of the beauty of God made visible, magnified, and thus able to be apprehended and enjoyed in its full range. This is the most loving purpose conceivable. For God to communicate and translate his holiness to us his creatures, he must make it visible."

And it was made visible that day on calvary. Christ hung on a cross. God poured out his wrath. Yes, wrath was not averted for us. It was put on Christ, and he felt every bit of it to the depth of his soul. Our victory is really Christ's victory, and it has been won once and for all. So never turn your eyes from the cross, because if (or more likely when) we do, we lose sight of the greatest display of God's glory ever put forth upon the earth. "Still be my vision, O Ruler of All."

Textures(!) and Fine Art Photography

2008-06-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

So I've just received a product for fine art photo editing called "Textures" by Melissa Squires (click on the blog title for the link to her website). I got so excited that I had to try one out immediately. And I absolutely love the results! I've been wanting to try these out forever, but until Melissa's stuff came along, it was all way too expensive. But as you can see, the results are amazing and totally worth the $45 Melissa charges. I won't have much time over the next couple of weeks to do much more with them as I have a lot of other work to finish before Monica and I go on vacation the middle of next week, but I can't wait to get back and try out more! For now, enjoy the one above!

The New Site is Now Up!

2008-06-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today marks the launch of the new face for GeeFamily Photography. The entire website has been re-built to include complete photo galleries, pricing information, an about us section, as well as links to this blog and to our new online ordering storefront. So take a moment and click your way onto http://www.geefamilyphotography.com/ and enjoy!

For those present and potential photography clients, we are excited to announce a new, free feature that will be included in all future packages: your own personal online image gallery set to your favorite music. When you get to the website, simply click on the 'Galleries' tab on the left, then choose your name from the dropdown bar and click 'Go to Gallery'. It's that easy! Now all your friends and family can enjoy your photos whenever they would like. What's more, the 'Order' tab takes your friends to our new online storefront where they can order as many prints as they would like. Prints are ordered and fulfilled through the website.

That's it for now, so enjoy browsing our new site, and please let me know what you think!

Senior Portraits: Emily

2008-06-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today I had the pleasure of getting outside and shooting some senior portraits for Emily. The weather couldn't have been better (a rare thing for Northern Illinois!), and we spent a good deal of time laughing throughout the shoot. Congrats on officially being a senior, Emily, and I hope you enjoy your pics as much as I enjoyed taking them. Here's a sampling of the shots!

In Sickness and In Health

2008-05-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

That particular promise is in Wedding Vows for a reason - loving one another during sickness can be difficult. This year we are celebrating God's grace in the midst of sickness. He has been so gracious to teach us to love one another when we feel more like taking care of ourselves. He has provided abundant grace to meet our needs when we feel like we can't keep going. More than all of that, he is teaching us to be selfless and to model his self-sacrificing love for us.

So, Happy Anniversary, my dear, sick Brian. I love you more than words can say and am so thankful for the opportunity to serve you during these days of sickness. How fitting that we should remember our vows on a day like today and celebrate the fact that we are committed to loving each other under any circumstance. A lot has changed in two years, but my love for you has only increased. I pray that God will continue to bind our hearts together - whether in sickness or in health. I love you!

Summertime Sickness

2008-05-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Brian was so relieved to finish a semester's worth of hard work that he decided to let his immune system go on vacation! Yep, Brian came down with a nasty case of Mononucleosis on May 7th - one day before he was done with the semester! So, needless to say, the past 2 weeks have been filled with doctors visits, soup, sleep, gatorade, etc. With lots of rest, he should improve over the next month and hopefully be back in good health to enjoy a bit of the summer break! In the meantime - your prayers are appreciated and we'll try to keep you updated on his progress!

P.S. By the way, we don't know how he got it but it certainly wasn't from kissing! :-)

Brian Got Some New Toys...

2008-05-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I got half my shipment of new camera equipment. Yes, it's awesome. I'll post some pics soon (though I'm still waiting for the new camera body to arrive). It's like the eschaton...now, and not yet.

I'll post other exciting news in a follow-up post, but for the moment I need to finish editing my final paper for the semester. Next week: Finals!

Off to T4G

2008-04-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Brian left at 5:30 this morning (yikes!) to head down to Louisville, KY for the Together for the Gospel conference. I am sure he will have much to blog about upon his return! In the meantime, I am up here holding down the fort in Wheaton. Spring is definitely in the air and I was excited to spot the first flowers of the season popping up outside my front door. The grass is turning greener with each rainy day and we are even expecting a high of 70 tomorrow. So, it seems that we have endured our first winter and are happy to announce "it's not so bad." The snowy storms may have scared off any visitors from coming out, but we can't wait to see you all now that springtime is here!

Monica's New Storefront!

2008-04-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

We're excited to let everyone know that Monica's official e-store is now open for business! The store currently has a mixture of quilts and purses/totes for sale, and Monica is looking forward to adding more products soon. So hop on over to http://www.bolsachica.etsy.com and check out everything made by my "Bag Lady"!

St. Patty's Day Parade!

2008-03-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry it's been a long while since we last posted, but the snow has melted (for now) and spring is only a couple days away! So we've decided to emerge from our cave for the annual Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade and River-Dyeing Celebration. We went down to the city around 11 to check out the parade at Grant Park, and it was packed! People came from as far as Georgia to check out all the bagpipes and kilts passing through the streets. It was pretty cool, and we even got to see Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich (pronounced "Blah-goy-a-vich" for our non-Illinois friends - ya, everything's pronounced funny around here, but that's for another post) right in front of us! After spending thirty minutes squeezing out of the crowds (yes, it was that crowded), we went down to the Chicago River at the Michigan Avenue bridge. Since 1962, Chicago has had the coolest tradition of dying the river green for a day or so to celebrate. And we're talking bright green! Here are some pics from the festivities...

The Irish Dancers

The Crowds!The Governor Two Feet From Us
My Honey Overlooking the River
Me Doing the Same

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

First Week

2008-01-15T12:21:00.001-08:00

So it's the first week of my new semester! Round Two. I'm looking forward to my classes: Hebrew Exegesis of Exodus, Greek Exegesis of Mark, New Testament Theology, and an audit of Photography I. So far I've had Exodus and Photo...Mark and NT Theo. are 3 hour classes only on Thursday and Friday. The load will be completely different than last semester as the majority of work will be in translation and close readings. The three Bible classes are 12 units which constitutes a full graduate load, but because they are spread out on different days, the work shouldn't be too crazy. So it's off to the library, my home away from home.

Historical Wheaton, Pt. 1: The Post Office

2008-01-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

Over the next few months, I'd like to post a series of photos showcasing some of the Historic Buildings in Wheaton along with their intrinsic anamolies. To begin this series, I went out and took some 50mm shots of the Wheaton Central Post Office. Constructed in 1933, the Post Office features some stunning architectural shapes as well as intricately carved edges. But what first drew my eye to this sight was a small sign around the building's side that reads "Fallout Shelter". So here it is in all its glory...

purgatorio is back :)

2008-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

For anyone who enjoys making fun of Christian eccentrencies and the syncretism that has so violently seized the church, Marc Heinrich has come back from a year-long blogging absence to put his humorous touch to a serious problem.

You can find his site by clicking here.

Some Fun Shots

2008-01-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a few shots I took...I'm just starting to experiment with textures. I really like the dark texture and mood of the shots, and it's fun to think that these are sights right here in town. Let me know what you think.

Blanchard Hall The Old Church
A Foggy Day
The Light Ahead

Bulls Game!

2008-01-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Last week we were given tickets through Monica's work to go see a Bull's game. Neither Monica nor I are big basketball fans, but we had a blast! The game was close through all four quarters, coming down to a Bull's victory with a single free-throw shot in the last three seconds of the game...that's just good quality sports! On top of that, we were really privileged to be in an executive suite for the game. Free food, dessert, drinks, and amazing seats - it doesn't get better than that. Thanks again to the folks at R.R. Donnelley for the experience. Here's some pics from our night...enjoy!

The Massive Screen

The United Center - Home of the Bulls and Blackhawks

Inside the Arena

Some Shots of the Action:

Monica and Her Nerd Husband :)
Benny the Bull!

Our Suite...and Some of the Food

Ben Wallace Makes the Game Winning Shot with 3 Seconds Left

The Victory Flag!

The Final Score

A Happy New Year Update

2008-01-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hey All! I know...this is long overdue. But it was a lot of fun to see many of you over the break, so maybe the blogging break wasn't too egregious after all. Maybe.

We've been getting back into the flow of things after the holidays. We had a great time seeing both sides of the family over the break, but it was definitely tiring! Monica's back at work, and I'm working with my new Photoshop program (*snickering*) and looking at perhaps applying for a morning waitering job at some breakfast places. I'm also looking at taking a photography class or two this semester as the load from my classes should prove manageable...hehe...ya. The bottom dropped out of the thermometer today. This morning it was 0 with a wind chill of -16. And for those who are wondering: Yes. I had Ice Cream last night.

I'll send a longer update later, but for now, enjoy some photos of our adventures over the last few weeks...

From Christmas...

In our humble abode with our spiffy Frasier pine.

Great Grandma Meadows, Auntie Monica, and 6 month old Bram Richardson

Corporal Panos on the phone, Papa Meadows, Monica, and Leah
in a telephone booth watching our car drive across the street. Those shocked faces are real!

Monica's silhoutte on her parents roof in San Clemente

Our first snow man - Mortimer!

The guys playing Wii and the girls snacking on New Year's Eve

Yum!

Very classy!

We realized after the fact that we didn't take any photos up in Santa Clarita...sad...maybe I'll try to edit one together :). In the meantime, have a good new year!

we (heart) snow

2007-12-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

It started to snow tonight...

Someone's Having a Birthday...

2007-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

Yep, the rumors are true - today Brian turns 22! To celebrate, we are taking a trip into Chicago and will be spending the weekend exploring the "artsy" side of the city. A trip to the Symphony is involved, possibly a visit to the Museum of Art, and lots of good food! We are hoping to get some pictures up after the trip. Apologies for neglecting the blog lately - we've had visitors, illness, and of course Thanksgiving to keep us occupied. Hope you are all doing well and we will try to update soon!

The End of Fall

2007-11-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't get enough pictures of fall color...here are some more!

Sadly, most of the Fall color is gone - just one week after these pictures were taken! The winter wind has started to blow, and we are getting ready for our first snow flurries within the next week. It will be so fun to see our neighborhood covered in snow - don't worry - we'll be sure to get lots of pictures of that too!

A Visit from my Mom

2007-11-14T06:52:00.000-08:00

These past 3 and a half months have marked the longest time I have ever been away from my parents. My mom is my best friend, so to be away for that long is crazy! We still talk on the phone every week, but it was so nice to be face to face - shopping, sewing, cooking, and hanging out. Plus, we were able to show her a taste of what our lives look like in Wheaton, IL. Here are some pictures from her trip out here. (As you can see, we are having a late fall here and my mom couldn't get enough of the beautiful scenery!)

I love you, maw maw!

A Weekend Away in Michigan

2007-10-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

After what amounted to a very long week, we set out with some friends (Don and Sara Jones) for a weekend of camping in the great state of Michigan. After munching down on Portillo's beef sandwiches, the four of us drove two hours around the bottom of Lake Michigan, passing through Indiana, and came around to the Michigan side of the lake. Our campsite was Warren Dunes State Park. Having left around 5 o'clock we did not arrive at our site until 8:30pm EST, which meant that we set up our tents by the lovely light of our Element. After a sweet little campfire and some s'mores, we all went to bed. Or so we thought. That night just happened to be blusteringly windy. So when we woke up the next morning, we were all running off of two hours of sleep. And we loved it.

Seeing that we got no sleep, we needed to keep as active as possible...which wasn't very hard. It is Michigan. So after a quick breakfast the four of us hopped in our car and drove down to the lake for an early morning surf session. Brian would like to think that the women looked on in awe as Don and Brian valiantly battled the choppy waves, but in the end it probably looked more like bath toys bobbing in a tide pool at your local water park. Even without any waves, everyone still had a good time.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. After a quick lunch, we headed down to the Third Coast Surfshop, the mecca of Midwest surfing. Then, having paid our tithes, we headed forty miles north to a down-home, fresh-from-the-tree Apple Orchard. The scenery was gorgeous, but the apple pie a-la-mode, as well as the cold cider and cider donuts, were a taste that won't soon be forgotten. Finally, we headed back down south to our campsite. In an attempt to not fall asleep, we decided to go for a hike on the dunes. One hundred feet into our hike, the girls saw an enormous hill and decided, "hey, we should climb this!" So up we went. And we climbed, and we climbed, and we climbed some more. Let's just say that we won't be climbing fifty degree hills that have sand as their ground for a loooooong time. Everyone made it to the top, and the view of the lake and the dunes as well as the fall colored trees that could be seen for fifty miles all around were worth the trek. Having caught our breath, we leapt down the hill (now that was fun!) and headed back to camp to start dinner. Monica cooked a great lemon-seasoned turkey kielbasa with potatoes and carrots. It was rather comical to watch the boys trying to balance the foil wrapped meal above a blazing firepit with nothing but two cement bricks and an aluminum container. We broke out the s'mores one more time, but Don and Brian decided to add another ingredient to the s'mores mix: cider donuts. They claimed it was great, but the girls were really skeptical (you know men and their desire to save face). With the sun down and our stomachs full, we chattered around the campfire for a couple hours and then turned in.

The next morning we awoke much better rested and set out for a low-key day. That is...until we started on a five mile hike through dunes, beach and forest. But it was worth every minute. The colors in the trees were phenomenal, the pattern in the sand was intricate and the neighboring deer were friendly (seriously, if you have never seen true midwestern fall color, you really need to find a way to come out in mid-October...it's amazing). Once we got back to camp, we started tearing our site down and headed off to a place called St. Joe to see if some surf could be found. Surfing is odd in Michigan (and in Illinois for that matter), so you still tend to get stares from passer-byes...which Brian loves. When we got to St. Joe, the winds were roaring and the lake was turbulent. Good conditions, right? Not so much...you really should have been here yesterday. So we turned our car around and grabbed our last lunch of the trip at a fun little place called Shu's. After filling our bellies, we made the hour and a half trek back through Indiana and into Chicago. Overall we loved our times up in Michigan, and we really enjoyed our time with our friends.

Here are some pics from our mini-vacation...

We Love Fall Fine Art

2007-10-18T16:03:00.001-07:00

Fall is amazing here. Here are some pics I took in our backyard today...

This weekend we're off to Michigain to camp with some friends. It's been a crazy week as I have one class that finished today and two other papers due. So we're really looking forward to getting away. Hope everyone is doing well, and we love to hear from everyone who calls.

Have a great weekend!

Books and Light

2007-10-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

books. books. and more books.

This has been a busy week here at the Gee home. My major task this week was to turn in a paper centering on the transfiguration narrative in Matt. 17:1-8. Here are a couple excerpts:

Having understood the gravitas and glory of the Son in magnificent display, God’s words ring powerfully into the hearts of all believers. “Listen to him.” That was God’s command to Peter; it is also his command for the reader. He has come to establish his kingdom through suffering. Yet the glory of Christ is at the center of the suffering, just as the Transfiguration scene stands between two “suffering” passages. What is more, in the same way that God’s words and very presence drove Peter and the disciples to their knees, so too must Jesus’ words draw us to our knees in humiliation and despair.

Christ has inaugurated an incarnate kingdom which finds its glory in God and the suffering that is incurred for His name’s sake. Matthew’s narrative acts to refute any hold the reader may claim on his own life. It draws the reader low by exalting the authority and glory of Christ. The reader may grasp the message of the transfiguration only if he is moved to listen to Jesus by embracing a form of glorification that is radically different from all that he considers to be great in this world. He must choose both to suffer with Christ and to lose his life for Jesus’ sake. Yet he may take comfort, knowing that just as Christ’s earthly body concealed his true glory, so too does the flesh of the believer conceal the fact that he, through identification with Christ in suffering, is “being transformed from one degree of glory to another”. Finally, though he may be terrified of the call of God on his life with its manifold and dangerous implications, he too may feel the tap of Jesus’ hand on his prostrated shoulders. And raising his eyes to the Savior, he can hear Jesus’ comforting words, “Rise, and have no fear.”

E-mail me for the full text if you want it. It is amazing to consider how deeply God's glory is linked to suffering.

transfiguration

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rhythm of light

Cubs Clinch!

2007-09-28T20:32:00.001-07:00

This is what October's all about!

(ht: espn.com for photo)

Friends, Family, and Photography

2007-09-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

Monica's sister, Leah, flew in last weekend for a whirlwind tour of our great city and to spend some time with us. We had a blast taking her around town and getting to catch up on life. I also took advantage of our time downtown by taking some more artistic, city-scape type pictures. Here's a mix of the two...enjoy!

the "L" train in b&w

waiting for the L

inside the chicago symphony orchestra building

the staircase inside the symphony's foyer

the skyline (note how small the sear's tower looks! yes, it's the one in the background!)

on the town

cool in chi-town

the stage at millenium park in b&w

the city in b&w

Of course, our trip wasn't all about taking pictures.... As we were walking on the famous Navy Pier, Monica recognized a family friend whom she has not seen in nine years! How random! Meet the Brenners! (from left to right: Leah, Monica, Kathy, Kaitlin, and Dana)

But the fun didn't stop there! As our final stop along the GeeFamily Chicago tour, we walked down to Moody Bible Institute and visited with our San Clemente buddy, Jenna. One of the main campus buildings is in the background...and if anyone who knows Jenna's mom, Jill, is reading this blog, make sure to ask her about the elevator incident when she dropped Jenna off...it's pretty funny!

From Our Porch

2007-09-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick view from our front porch...it's fall right now, and we love it!

Welcome to my Office!

2007-09-20T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thought you might like to see the place where I work.

Maybe someday I will post pictures of my office! More pictures to come - my sister is visiting this weekend! Yay!!

Meray Dost Heidi

2007-09-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been a special treat - my friend (or in Hindi Meray Dost) Heidi has come to visit!! Heidi has spent the past year living in Delhi, India and working with University students over there. It has been such a blessing to catch up with one another and to see how each of us has grown and changed over the past year. Today Brian, Heidi, Scott, Katie and I all went into Chicago to explore the city and enjoy one anothers fellowship. Here are some pictures from our day.

We obviously had a very good time and had some great food at Giordano's off of Rush Street in Chicago. As much fun as we had, Heidi still misses Delhi and can't wait to go back!

With one more day until she leaves, I am going to finish this post and hang out with Meray Dost Heidi! Namaste!

Introducing...The Third Coast

2007-09-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

Most of you are probably scratching your head saying, "Brian, have you lost your mind? There's only two coasts, and you're not close to either of them!" Au contraire!

Consisting of over 11,000 miles of (mostly) unsurfed shorelines spread out along five lakes, the Third coast is the largest coastline in the United States! And yesterday as couple friends who had heard that I surfed back in SoCal invited me to surf Lake Michigan.

And it was a blast! Though by the time we got to Cliffs (the beach) the surf had died down to around 2-3 ft., we still got in several good waves. The sets rolled in consistently and there was enough push to get our 8'6" boards going. The water temp was 67 and the air was a cool 65, especially as I was trunking it! But it was worth it.

For those who aren't familiar with lake surfing (I was one of them), allow me to tell you a bit about it...

Remember back to the early days of surfing when you'd be cruising along a freeway to get to your favorite spot with your surfboards strapped to the top and people would look at you like you were crazy? Well I don't, but I've heard plenty of stories along that line. And though surf culture has exploded (or imploded) in SoCal, it is still alive and well here on the lakes. As we were driving down the coastal highways, people would stare at us as if we were from a different planet. My friend Don (it was Don and his brother Joe Jones I went surfing with) even told me of a time he went out and a person motioned to him to role down his window, only to inform him that California was 2,000 miles away! And we wouldn't want it any other way here.

Surfing is still underground here. We were the only ones on the beach that night. And as we were driving along the coast, it felt as if we could drive as far north as the shore would go only to find miles of beaches that have never been surfed before. That's what made surfing great back home, and that's what makes surfing the lakes so much fun out here!

(Joe on the left, Don on the right - Look close enough, and you'll see Joe's got a Stewart...Rock on Bill...your boards are awesome!)

Many thanks again to Don and Joe for having me along! You guys rock!

Click on the following names if you're interested in either Stewart's Boards or Third Coast Surf Shop - the Official Surf Shop of the Third Coast.

Worship at Wrigley

2007-09-13T10:31:00.001-07:00

*NOTE: For any who may be of a sensitive conscience, this is written completely tongue-in-cheek. Have fun!(pictures are below)

A week or so ago, we (Monica and I) came across two highly charged and engaging religious tracts that read "Tickets to Wrigley Field" on the top. Immediately we knew that a divine hand was moving in a special way in our lives. The service was to begin at 7:05; the address: 1060 West Addison, Chicago, IL. So, as obedient servants of our Cubby master, we dawned our religious regalia (Cubs sweatshirts and caps) and headed off to join thousands of other Chicagoland worshippers for what was to be nothing short of a revival.

The pilgrimage to our Mecca took about an hour-and-a-half curteousy of the Metra and the "L". But it was worth every breathsqeezing moment (literally, as the train was packed with fellow devotees). Finally, the train pulled into the station. Our hearts began to race. Sweat bands formed atop my brow (Monica, of course, was shining as ever!). We descended both from the train and then the station. Immediately we were bombarded by those most vile creatures called street vendors, who make the stadium a den of robbers. Having rushed quickly passed the brooding vipers, we came to the street corner. Not being able to withold our joy anymore, we leaped across the street.

Oh the joy! Oh the grandeur! Before us stood one of the oldest and longest functioning stadiums in all of baseball history. And to greet us as we approached was no other than Harry Carry himself (well, his statue at least). We traded our tickets at the gate and entered into the shrine, yes, into the inner court with our fellow believers. Those outside the gate were not worthy that evening. But we were in. Finding our seats in back left field reserve level, we gazed and beheld the very field that the Chicago Cubs - the honored home team - have called home for almost a century.

Breathless as we were, the game began. Those infidels - the great dragon who ascends from the abyss, yes, even that very Harlot of Babylon, the Dodgers, were the opposing team that night. The battle was hard, the worshippers devoted. Up and down we went chanting incantations and benedictions, pleaing for some sign that we would reign victorious. To our great chagrin, the darkness triumphed over the light that night - a metaphor that shows even when victory is assured to those children of light, they must still be diligent to fight hard during trials, lest they fall. With that evening's message impressed upon our hearts and minds, we left the stadium somber but rejoicing that we had been counted worthy to join the ranks of those whose hearts shall forever be enjoined to our Chicago Cubs.

Welcome to Our Humble Abode!

2007-09-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it is high time that we provided you with a photo tour of our home. Hope you enjoy!!

All houses (or apartments) must have an entryway. Ours begins in this lovely garden and continues into our very functional storage area.

We are usually greeted by this mild tempered collie named Tessie.

Finally, you get to our front door and are welcomed into our happy home.

As you enter to the right of the "foyer" you will find a long hallway. On the left hand side is our bathroom.

And on the right hand side is our study/craft/book room. Our desks are featured here. Brian's is a little messy - but that is what happens when you have to do homework all day!

At the end of the hall, you might stop to enjoy our "art gallery" displaying some of our favorite photos from our Israel trip last summer.

At this point, you would find yourself in our living room. You might see Brian on the couch as in this photo.

Or you might look around and notice the custom made curtains or beautiful wedding photos on the walls.

From there you could go to our bedroom and could appreciate our bedspread from Israel.

On your way back out you might notice our small entertainment center - but you definitely couldn't get past seeing the pipes that go through our ceiling. These give the place so much character!

After going back through the living room, you would notice our "parisian" dining area.

Finally you would pass through our kitchen and end up in the same foyer where you started.

700 square feet of pure love! Hope you can come in person sometime soon!

Craft of the Day

2007-09-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here I am modeling my newest crafty project - a reversible apron! With all the time Brian spends studying, I have a lot of time to work on fun projects like this.

And everyone said it would be hard to be married to a student - I think it is fun! Oh, and by the way, Brian is really enjoying his classes. There certainly is a lot of work to be done but he is up for the challenge.

Storm Watch 2007

2007-08-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

This post is a bit overdue, but we thought you might like to know about our encounter with a summer storm. About two weeks ago, we experienced our first severe weather storm in the Mid West. We may have experienced a rain storm on the way through Nebraska, but it doesn't even come close to the tornado like weather conditions that came through Illinois two weeks ago. The day started out mildly enough - we went to lunch together and enjoyed the beautiful 90 degree weather. But around 3 o'clock the sky drastically changed. This is what Brian saw coming his way.

The storm was furious, and packed a hard punch. The power was out in downtown Wheaton for four whole days. We were without power on Thursday night, but thankfully it was restored by 10:30 that evening. Friday the power was out at Crossway and I was able to go home early - yay! All that to say - weather really affects things around here. Wheaton has seen the light end of the damage, several other counties have experienced a lot of flood damage. Despire the weather, we are in good spirits and Brian can't get over how cool real thunder and lightning is.

Finally, we would like to say that Californians need to get out of California every once and awhile to be reminded of what a real storm is like. So for those of you who want to experience "storm watch 2007" - come visit us any time!

Sweet Home - Chicago

2007-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today, we made our first day trip to Chicago. We met our train at College Avenue station, which is right down the street from our basement apartment. After a noisy train ride full of Cubs fan and Air Show attendees, we arrived at Ogilvie station in the heart of Chicago.

After a short trip on the "L" we found ourselves on Michigan Avenue, also known as the Magnificent Mile. The street starts off with one of the few surviving buildings from the Chicago fire in 1871 - the water tower.

We made our way down the street and were awed by the magnificent buildings that line the street. The weather couldn't be more perfect - around 80 degrees, blue skies and a slight breeze. There were a few highlights along the street: the gardens next the NBC building, the Chicago River, and a random metallic moose!

We took a Water Taxi to Navy Pier and enjoyed the deafening sounds of fighter jets performing in the Air Show along the coast.

We lunched on the pier at Charlie's Ale House and walked back to Michigan Avenue and down the street to Millenium Park. For those of you who haven't been, there are many fun structures decorating the park, which we will model for you here.

Finally, we caught the train back to Wheaton and collapsed on our beautiful new couches.

In other news - the Cubs won again today! We are in proces of becoming avid Cubs fans and will attend our first game in a few weeks! By the way, the game is Dodgers vs. Cubs, which will put our new allegiance to the test - GO CUBS!!

A Day in the Life of a Gee

2007-08-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

We have given you plenty of updates on the status of our home - but we thought you might like to know some of the other exciting things happening in Wheaton, IL. There are two very exciting things that have occurred over the last few days. First, last Sunday we visited a church that might become our home church. Grace Church of DuPage (DuPage is our county) is a church that loves the Lord, has solid doctrine and has abundant fellowship. We really enjoyed the service as well as the conversations we had with the leadership at the church. We felt right at home, as the church was very similar to Placerita Baptist Church in Santa Clarita. Pastor Scott Ardavanis used to pastor out here at Grace Church of DuPage and we could see his influence on much of the service. He also left quite an impression on the people! All that to say, we will be attending there again this upcoming weekend and hope to get involved in a Bible study soon.

Secondly, Monica was offered a job today at Crossway Bible Publishing. The interview process has been going on for the past two weeks so it was really exciting to have some resolution. Even better - Monica really wanted this job! The position is: Administrative Assistant of Bible Publishing. Crossway is an awesome company and we are so excited to be a part of their work in spreading the Gospel. We now are both officially employed again! Brian is working part-time for Monica's dad at Elmco Insurance and now Monica is a part of Crossway! We want to give all the glory to God for these happenings - it is amazing to see how He has orchestrated all of these events. God has provided everything that we need and we are so thankful for His goodness to us!

In the "News"

2007-08-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Moving to a new place, it seems that everyday holds something new for us. We thought we would share some of the latest "news" with you:

On August 1, we became Aunt and Uncle to our new nephew Bram Hayden Richardson. Here is a pic of the handsome baby boy with his mom (Monica's sister Jamie).

We also bought a few new household items: an IKEA bookshelf, shoe rack, bedstands, TV cabinet, printer/scanner/fax machine and a lot of other little things that make our life more comfortable. Our basement apartment is feeling more and more like home - our new couch arrives tomorrow which will finish off our living room. Monica has been busy on the sewing machine and has made some fun additions to the dining room table, too!

Over the last week or so we have made many new discoveries - Giordano's Pizza, Portillo's, The Room Place and Potbelly Sandwich Works. If there is one thing we love about the midwest is the amazing food and the discount furniture stores! We can't wait for all of you to try our new favorite restaurants.

We are also starting to make some new friends. The midwest is a very friendly place - we seem to make new friends everywhere we go. From the check out line in Trader Joe's to fellow shoppers in stores to the workers at the DMV (technically IL doesn't have a DMV, it is actually a Dept of the Secretary of State) we have found ourselves getting to know the locals and loving our home even more!

Lastly, we have new driver's licenses! We are officially Illinois residents and have registered to vote in IL too!

Who knew moving could be so much fun?

Home-Making

2007-08-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

Lest you think being a home-maker is only a woman's job - you should see all of the work Brian has been putting into making our basement apartment into a home! The past three day have been filled with unpacking boxes, putting together furniture, making messes and then cleaning them up, organizing, decorating, etc. Our efforts are starting to pay off and we can see our place coming together. We will definitely update with pictures of our place once we finish everything. The weather out here has been hot, sticky and rainy. For all of the warnings we received about the horrid weather, we are doing just fine and our fans are keeping us in good spirits. Hope all of you are doing well back on the West Coast - love to you all!

We Are Here!

2007-08-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you all know that we arrived in Wheaton today at around 1:00 pm Central Time. We couldn't be happier with the beautiful location and the fun basement apartment that the Lord has provided for us. We drove 2200 miles to get here - and we love it! We shipped our belongings separately and will pick them up tomorrow in a town called Elgin, not too far from here. Once we get settled you can expect lots of pictures!

Seven States Down...One to Go!

2007-08-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

As we come to the end of our fourth day of travel, we cannot help but reflect on all of the fun we have had in such a short amount of time. So far, we have covered 1,800 miles of the great American Countryside - from the metropolis cities of Denver and Des Moines to the antiquated, down-home-can-I-cut-you-another-piece-of-pie main streets that make this country so unique. After spending Monday night in Grand Junction, CO, we began the grueling climb over the Rocky Mountains. And what a climb it was (11,500 ft atop Loveland Pass!). Yet we hardly noticed the ascension as the massive rock formations that the word "mountain" can just barely begin to describe riveted our eyes the whole way.

After climbling and falling those great heights in the same day, we came to Denver ready to eat (of course, it was lunch time too). It took just seconds to find a parking spot near Coors Field (the stadium that the Colorado Rockies call home) where we found the Breckinrigde Brewery for lunch. Picture BJ's...and you've got this place. We had Bison Burgers and Fish & Chips to fill us up - and it was really good!

After lunching in Denver, we set out for what would immediately become a flat, field-filled drive through the remaining third of Colorado and the Nebraska border. Brian drove, Monica slept. :) The skies were like everything that you'd picture in a Thomas Kinkade landscape...and Brian hates Thomas Kinkade. But it was still beautiful. It is amazing how vast and open the U.S. really is. Once we crossed the Nebraska border, we found a delightful camping spot in a little town named Ogallala (which just happens to be very fun to say as well!). We picked our own camping spot amidst rustling trees, 100 yards or so from the shore of Lake McConaughy. The lake had white sand beaches and we immediately felt at home. After a long day of driving and humid weather it felt really good to get wet!

We made a salami wrap dinner and spent the evening admiring the beautiful surroundings and playing games.

This morning we awoke to a vastly different view of Lake McConaughy. The fog was extremely thick and our tent was covered in a layer of dew. We packed up the campsite and decided to head out a bit earlier than we had originally planned. Shortly after we had left, we experienced our first Mid-West torrential down pour. To native Californians, this was quite an expierience! Once the rain stopped, we realized that our car had been purged of all the bugs that it had accumulated over the past few days.

Other than a quick lunch stop to McDonald's, we quickly made our way across the state of Nebraska and into Iowa. While we were enthralled with the Rocky Mountains, the state of Iowa has proven to have a surprisingly beautiful countryside.

Even better, now that we have reached Des Moines, we realized we only have 260 miles or so until we reach Wheaton! After checking into our hotel in Des Moines, we took off for a BBQ dinner at Famous Dave's (famous for BBQ, I guess!) and boy did it live up to its' name. Finally, after having gorged ourselves on ribs, chicken, pork and anything else that ends up on a barbeque, we are back in our hotel room getting ready for a relaxing dip in the Spa! So that's it for now - we'll update you again tomorrow once we reach our new home: Wheaton, IL!

On The Road

2007-07-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our adventure has begun! We are almost at the halfway point to Wheaton and are loving our traveling experience so far. While we are excited to get settled into our new home, we are thankful for the ability to take the drive out at a slower pace. For the most part, Brian is all business on the road - but we have taken a few side trips that make the drive more tolerable. Here are some highlights for you to enjoy:

Our first stop was in Baker, CA where we visited the tallest thermometer in the world. By the way, it was 104 degrees there!

We also had fun interacting with some Greek statues in front of the Mad Greek - a Food Network favorite.

We barrelled through Nevada and Arizona, and spent our first night in Cedar City, UT. We had a fun time exploring the cities historic downtown area.

This morning we left Cedar City and started the long trek across the middle of Utah. Here we are taking a pit stop.

A roadside overlook provided for some great landscape photos. This is what we have been looking at all day today.

Finally, our last detour was to Arches National Park where we appreciated some of the most beautiful vistas in Utah.

Tonight we are staying in Grand Junction, CO and are ready for the trip through Denver tomorrow! Thanks for your prayers!!

4 Days and Counting!

2007-07-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

We do apologize for the lack of posting this summer, but I am sure you can see the title why we have been neglecting the website. With 4 days remaining until our departure for Illinois, there has been little time left for blogging! We did want to give everyone a quick update on our moving plans while we still have internet access. So - here is the plan:

Thursday - we will be loading the moving truck and our stuff will be shipped to Illinois.
Friday - last day at work for both Brian and Monica
Saturday - we are having a BBQ with our friends and family to say goodbye to everyone.
Sunday - We pack ourselves into our Honda Element and start our trek!
Monday thru Friday - we will be camping our way across the US. We are going by way of Nevada-Arizona-Utah-Colorado-Nebraska-Iowa-and finally Illinois!

We would appreciate your prayers for the drive out, and especially for us once we get there. There are still many decisions to be made and we could use much discernment! Thank you for taking an interest in our lives - we appreciate you!

The Lopez Family

2007-06-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

After having spent a relaxing Saturday at Ventura, Monica and I went back to the beach on Sunday for a family session with one of my co-workers, Fanchette Lopez, her husband Leonard, and her three kids: Hannah, Leonard Jr., and Anthony. Here are some of my favorites...

Five Weeks and Counting!

2007-06-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

The countdown to our move to Chicago is definitely on! It has been amazing experience to watch things fall into place over the past 2 months. While we don't have all the details worked out yet - we do have a place to live and at least a partial income. We also were able to sell the Beetle and have purchased a 2003 Honda Element. It is so cool to look back on a previous post where we asked for prayer and to see some of those prayers being answered. Thank you all! We thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of our new home:

We will be living in the basement of this beautiful mid-western home. This is pretty much a perfect fit for us and we can't wait to start our new lives there! Monica will be working part-time for her dad, but other than that jobs are still up in the air. We are confident God will sustain us and provide exactly what we need in order to glorify Him the most! More news to come!

Nikki & Jake

2007-06-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Just before Monica and I left for Israel, we had the privilege of taking my sister, Nikki and her boyfriend Jake out for some photos. We had a great time, and they've been very patient waiting for me to edit and get their photos to them. Scroll down to see a sampling of some of their pictures. What I did not realize at the time of the shoot was just how much fun I would have editing their photos. There is something extraordinarily exciting about seeing the person you've lived with most of your life all grown up!

We're Home!

2007-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

We safely arrived at LAX at 5:50 am after a long 15 hour flight from Tel Aviv. However, the adventure is not over yet! In fact, the real adventure is just about to begin. WE just finished moving everything out of our apartment and are preparing for the big move in 2 months. Please pray with us as we have a lot on our plates. We would greatly appreciate prayer in the following areas:

- wisdom in seeking jobs and an affordable place to live in Wheaton
- gracious and serving hearts as we live with Brian's parents this summer
- guidance in financial aid, scholarships, loans, etc.
- for a timely and profitable sale of our two cars
- that we may continue to grow in our walks with Lord, in His Body and especially in love towards one another.

Thank you! More Israel photos to come soon!

Lessons from the Temple

2007-05-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today we have spent the majority of our time talking about and learning about the Temple/Temple Mount. Yesterday morning we went to the Temple Mount as a group and spent a good amount of time discussing the importance of the Old Testament Temple as well as the significant events that took place on the Temple Mount in New Testament times. We had a free afternoon (and spent much of it shopping! By the way - Pop we got your new Israel hat!!) which enabled us to do two really cool things: we went to the Temple Institute and the Western Wall Tunnel. The Temple Institute is in the process of recreating all of the items necessary for a modern day temple to function. They are just waiting for the opportunity to rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount (obviously a lot would have to change for that to happen!) and to resume all of the Temple functions of the Old Testament times.

Everything we have seen in the Jewish people shows an amazing hope and expectation in the future of Israel. They are anxiously waiting for the Messiah and are activtely pursuing preparing a way for him to come. It breaks my heart to know that they can be so zealous, but without the Truth. After spending so much time thinking through the OT Temple, the sacrifices and the desperation of a people - it was a great joy to spend the afternoon on the Mount of Olives. There Dr Varner gave a fantastic sermon going through the hope of the Gospel. What a privilege to be reminded of the truths of who Jesus Christ was (and is!) and of what He has accomplished by His death, burial and resurrection. Here are a few photos from yesterday and today. I hope these images will remind you of the true hope that is found in the Gospel and to spur you on to boldness in sharing our reliable faith.

Here Brian and I are in front of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount.

Another view on the Temple Mount

View of the Temple Mount from the Southern Excavations.

View of the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives.

Life in the Old City

2007-05-24T02:27:00.000-07:00

If you have never been to Israel, you might not know what I mean by saying the "Old City." Let me explain. Jerusalem is divided into two parts: the Old City and the New City. The Old City consists of everything within the city walls which we built, destroyed and rebuilt by Moslems and Crusaders in the 1200's. The New City is the modern city of Jerusalem which is outside of these walls.

While we have traveled all over the country of Israel, we have spent the most time in Jerusalem due to the significance of this place in both the Old and New Testaments. Walking through the streets of the Old City you can experience everything from outdoor meat markets, to ancient churches, to ice cream stands, to arab bartering in the shops. We are currently staying at the Gloria hotel which is a cultural experience in itself. We are inside the wall of Jaffa Gate which is one of the busiest gates in all of the Old City. We have enjoyed hearing all sorts of activity especially since yesterday was the holiday of Shavuot (Pentecost in Greek). This festival celebrates the giving of the law to Moses and thousands of pilgrims have flocked through Jaffa Gate to celebrate by the Western Wall.

One other important thing to note about the Old City is the fact that it is divided into four different sections. The sections are not equal in size, but they are all called quarters based on the majority of the people inhabiting a particular area. The quarters are as follows: the Jewish Quarter, the Moslem Quarter, the Christian Quarter and the Armeniand Quarter. We have been free to wander through any of these quarters, but the Moslem quarter is much dirtier and it is safer to stay out of this particular area. Everything in the Jewish Quarter has been rebuilt since 1967. We were here on the 40th anniversary of the recapturing of the Old City and witnessed some of the celebrations for what is known as Jerusalem Day.

Here are some pictures of everyday life within the walls of the Old City.

A Mezusah on the wall of Jaffa Gate. This contains the Torah and is a reminder to all who enter of the law.

This is the outside of the Citadel which was a fortress inside Jaffa Gate.

This is our teacher, Dr Varner. He is showing us a map of the Old City while we sit on a roof of a house to get a better idea of where we are at.

One of the many tunnels/arches in the Old City. It doesn't get much better than that!

A picture of me looking over the city from the roof of the Citadel.

This is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This dome covers the traditional spot of Jesus' tomb. While the church is an experience in itself with incense and hundreds of people paying homage - the historical importance of this site is undeniable.

Walking through the Jewish Quarter.

A look at Zion gate on the South Western side of the city. Yes, that really is a car trying to fit through this gate. The clash of ancient and modern is really an impressive thing to see.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the quick lesson on the Old City. We are really enjoying staying within the Old City gates and experiencing all the sounds and smells that are associated with the above pictures. We wake up to the sounds of church bells, cars honking, music blaring, the Moslem call to prayer and people chattering in the streets. If you like cultural experiences - it doesn't get much better than this!

A Legitimate Update!

2007-05-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

All right, we have made you wait long enough!! We finally have consistent wireless internet at our hotel for the rest of the week so we can upload some of the fun pictures we have taken in our time so far in Israel. Just to give a quick summary of all we have done I will list our activities and then the pictures will come later:

We spent the first three days in Jerusalem exploring the Old City. We spent this time mainly in the Old Testament talking about the city in the time of David, exploring some of the excavations and just a bit of NT stuff in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Then we made our way to Galilee by way of Caesarea Maritime, where we spent four wonderful days at the En Gev resort right on the shore of the Sea - it was beautiful!! The weather was much warmer and more humid in the Galilee area but it was a nice change of pace to all the rain in Jerusalem. We visited Nazareth, Capernaum, Chorazin, Megiddo, the Golan Heights, Caesarea Philippi, Nimrod's Castle, Tiberias and probablly others that I am forgetting. We then left Galilee and made our way to the Judean Wilderness in the Southern part of the country. We drove on the West Bank to Jericho, Qumran and the Dead Sea. After a nice float in the sea, we spent last night at the Masada Youth Hostel. This morning Brian hiked Masada and I opted to take the tram up since I have already hiked it before. Now Brian knows why I only needed to do it once! :-) Anyway, today we covered much ground from the Judean Wilderness through the Negev and are now back in the Old City for our final four days in this beautiful country. I hope I didn't overwhlem any of you with this huge paragraph - but I am sure you can get a picture of what a whirlwind tour we are doing by the above explanation!

Ok, as promised a few highlights in the form of pictures:

This was taken on our first full day in the Old City. We are standing on the Citadel by Jaffa Gate with a nice view of the Dome of the Rock behind us. Aren't we cute?

After a brief but strong rain storm, we were a little wet. Here we are inside a tunnel by the center of the Jewish Quarter.

Here we are at Caesarea Maritime. Unfortunately the picture is marred by the fog and a random tourist on the right side of the photo. David Jeremiah has a group in Israel right now and there were about 500 people milling around this site!

This was taken at Kursi overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is the traditional site of where the legion of demons were cast into the pigs that ran head long into the sea.

Brian is very excited about this inscription. We fell in love over Greek texts and this reminds him of our dating days!

Here is our entire group (except the person who was taking the picture of course!). This was taken right before we hiked down Mt Arbel. And I do mean hike - this is a serious incline!

Brian took this picture looking through a window in Nimrod's Castle. The castle is above Caeseara Philippi half way up Mt Hermon. Here we are fairly close to the Lebanese border and the Syrian border.

Our bus driver, Joel, became a Christian 2 years ago and is finally getting baptized by Dr Varner. This was a wonderful time on the Jordan River of rejoicing over his salvation and remembering the joy of our own!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Floating in the Dead Sea

2007-05-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, after a few days in the Galilee area we just left our wonderful resort in En Gev this morning. We drove down through Jericho and Qumran and enjoyed a late evening swim in the Dead Sea. So much has happened in the last few days but internet has been sparse. We have a promise of Wireless Internet tomorrow and promise some new pictures! Tomorrow morning we hike Masada and head back up through the Negev to the Old City for the remainder of our trip. God has been very good to us and we have been having a wonderful time!

Off to Galilee

2007-05-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well, there will not be any pictures for the post today, but we thought it would be better to post something! We just finished our first 3 days in the Old City and are now moving on to Galilee. Brian is loving his first visit to Israel, and I am so excited to be back in the Holy Land. We had a special treat yesterday...a rain storm hit us while we were walking around the Old City. That made for a very interesting afternoon! We also were able to experience the finest driving that Israel has to offer. Well, our bus is leaving in 10 minutes so we must get going. Shalom!

Day 1 in Jerusalem

2007-05-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well, we have arrived safely here in Israel and have already spent a half-day in the old city of Jerusalem. And it was wonderful! In addition to touring through some of the old gates, we got to go to the Western Wall and pray as well as see the nightly closing of the Church of the Holy Seplechure (a 1300-year old tradition). Now we have just woke up after a good nights sleep and will be spending the entire day in the old city! Here are a few pics from yesterday:

We're having slight problems with our technology stuff, but we should have that resolved in a day or so. Well, off we go for today!