"Old Marrieds beat Young Whipper Snappers"

Callie and I have been going to two different 'young marrieds' groups these past three weeks trying to get plugged in to Mosaic. Both groups are great and had many things to offer. The one we chose was on Tuesday nights because there are 8 other couples currently going to it. We figured it would be a great opportunity to get to know quite a few couples quickly. The other group only had 2 other couples. So, in order to get to know them quickly I decided to join them in 'bearing all' at a church sponsored Dodgeball Tourney! Us 'old marrieds' decided we create a team and dress up to intimidate the other teams. Our uniform consisted of basically sleeveless shirts, mullets (or mullet wigs), and jorts! For those of you unfamiliar with jorts...they are jean shorts cut very short. Needless to say, our pasty white legs and unkempt hair distracted the other teams enough that we won the whole tournament. We did not even lose a single game. There were 6 teams all consisting of young single college age types and each round was a best of 5 in order to win. But, we did not even need to go farther than 3 games each time. Who's to say that old broken men don't have fight left in them? The wives were too embarrased to even come so they went out to a local 'ale house' for dinner. We met up after and celebrated our victory!

yea for sun!

the sun shining bright today for the third day in a row! it may only be 20 degrees outside but it's beautiful and I'm going to soak in as much as I can:)

SURPRISE!

sometimes I can't believe what an amazing husband God has given me.
yesterday morning Brandon informed me that I needed to set out some outfits and that he would pack them for me. i'm usually the type of person that freaks out a little bit when i don't know what's going on, but i tried my hardest to enjoy the surprise and fight my urges to demand what was going on.
we ended up at McMenammins Edgefield (a pub/restaurant/hotel). There are many different "McMenammins" in the Portland area (all old buildings that have been refurbished), this one happens to be an old "poor farm" where poor or needy people came to live and work on this self-sustaining farm. it looks like a huge estate with farming land and a bunch of little houses surrounding the main building. all of that to say, it's really cute and was a perfect getaway night for us.

here we are in front of the main building. the window right above Brandon's head is our room!






the front of the main building (sorry the picture is fuzzy...i'm not so steady in the cold)










we got coffee and sat on the rocking chairs up there (2nd floor) last night

the main pub where you can eat or watch a movie in the theatre (notice to cute water tower in the background)

after dinner we headed down here to enjoy a glass of Oregon wine and listen to a great acoustic guy. the ambiance in this place was spectacular--everything from being surrounded by the barrels of wine, live music, candles, and sitting in the actual wine cellar. definitely relaxing!

now, we didn't actually go in this place, but it's one of the many little houses surrounding the main building that they have turned into tiny little bars. they all have so much character and are all so different. this one was no bigger than our living room and had an awesome fireplace inside. brandon said this reminded him of where the "inklings" might have met to discuss God and their writings.
hope you enjoyed my surprise. and whenever you come to visit, we'll take you there (jo and taylor...)

TGIF

it has been one of those weeks. I am praying this morning that the Lord forgives my whining, complaining, and belly-aching... my impatience and pity parties...and pretty much everything else this entire past week.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." [1 John 1:9-10]
we are all so undeserving of His mercy and grace.

Happy Birthday, Girls!

Natalie's birthday was the day after Christmas and Lydia's birthday is today. I can't believe it...Lydia is 4 and Natalie is now 7! when I started nannying for them they were 1 and 4:) I have missed them every day since we've been gone, but was so thankful to see them at Christmas time.
I love you girls and Happy Birthdays!!!!

just for fun

So, I got this off of Emily's blog...very interesting...not suprising at all (although I scored higher on the extrovert part than I usually do--yea!) so now all of you know how my brain works and why I hate making decisions!

callie - your profile type is Supporter

General Description
As a Supporter, you naturally thrive when given the opportunity to help, encourage, or cooperate with others. You make loyal friends and employees and gain fulfillment by helping make others successful.

Typical Areas of Strength
Supporters, like you, typically are excellent team players, at home or at work, due to your desire to cooperate, help others, listen, be patient, loyal, steady, and support the efforts of those in charge.

Typical Areas of Struggle
You may sometimes undermine your effectiveness by compromising too much, vacillating on important decisions, being too passive, resisting change, or compromising quality to protect the feelings of others.

Your Preferred Activities
Because you work at a steady pace, you demonstrate an excellent ability to follow through on projects. You cooperate well with others in order to complete activities.

Your Communication Style
You communicate best by using your superior relational and listening skills to convey care and compassion to people in need.

go here to try it for yourself...
http://www.careerdirectonline.org/personalityID

Blue sky, spider solitaire, and Italian pot roast

These are just a few of the things that have been exciting to us in the past week. Finally today the beautiful blue yonder seemed to poke through the dreary gray. You have no idea how excited we were to feel the warmth of the sun, and breath the "fresh" air. Callie also showed me spider solitaire. I am addicted. It is a challenging game that intrigues me. How excited I was to discover a new fun game. And you know how much I like games. Also, tonight we made an Italian Pot Roast which was quite tasty. We got the meat from our "meat box" and Callie actually made mashed potatoes not from a box. Who could not be excited about this!

This week marks the first week of classes for me. I have begun 3 of my 4 classes so far and I believe they will be challenging, yet very interesting. This week also marks the first full week that Callie has had Mo. Last weekend also marked the first weekend back in Portland where Callie actually didn't have to work. WE had all day Saturday and Sunday to hang out. We didn't even know what to do with the time. One of the things we did this week with all of our time was attend a Young-Marrieds Small Group. The couples were very welcoming and we enjoyed our time there. We will be visiting another one this Sunday to complete our "shopping".
We are excited for what this weekend has instore though. The Cowboys will take on them Giants again. We whooped them up twice earlier in the season, so...hopefully it happens a 3rd time. And if things are really going well, the Pats will lose! In closing....I shaved off my beard. Here are the many faces of Brandon. Tell me which one you like the best. And be honest! You can like the Wolverine Chops!

drizzle, naps, and car safety.

with the exception of a short break yesterday, I believe it has not stopped raining since we have returned to Portland. and last night as I was driving home I realized that we need to reapply the Rain-X and invest in some new windshield wipers because I almost drove off the road...more than once. but, it actually is kind of nice in the afternoons. I turn on the fireplace, cuddle up with Mo and turn on Rachel Ray as I drift off to a cozy nap. I am content...for now. things might look a bit differently in a month or 5.

the DelGrosso fam...

3 of my favorite people

this was another cherished time from our visit to colorado. these girls have been through a lot with me and i am so thankful for their friendship, love, advice, dedication, and hearts. i won't go on and on, but i love you girls...and emi, bury the tape....