Bear Valley Springs

Everyone has been SO kind and friendly at Crean Lutheran High- we are having a great time getting to know the staff and faculty. A few weeks ago the Instrumental Director and his wife, Matt and Kimberly, invited us over for dinner and we had a fabulous time.  Turns out that Matt, Kimberly and I were all at Azusa Pacific University at the same time, though we never met.  They invited us up to their family cabin with several other faculty members this past weekend.  So we all hopped in the car Friday evening and drove the three hours (with a mandatory stop at In-And-Out) to Bear Valley Springs.  

We had the best time, eating, laughing, playing games, going for hikes, and being refreshed by our brothers and sisters in Christ.  What a blessing good friends are!

Something New

Ever have to pinch yourself because something was too good to be true?  

Ever have to stop about ten times a day to whisper an incredulous "thank you" to the Lord for something SO unexpected?

We've had many blessings in our short time together as husband and wife-  Norm's salvation, our awesome honeymoon, a very special bible study group, and add to it now, a wonderful new job for me!

This year I'll be teaching at Crean Lutheran High School in Irvine.  I was offered a Full-time Fine Arts position  and I'm now teaching High School Choir and Drama.  Yea!!!!  Who would have thought that this was possible when all other schools are cutting back their fine arts programs...

I've spent many hours reading through music and plays, trying to find choir dresses, meeting with colleagues to discuss the best way to begin a Parent Booster Organization, and generally getting more and more excited.  And school hasn't even started yet!

I will miss working with young children.  Singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" everyday was pretty cool :-) And, nerd that I am, I enjoyed my work in crafting the perfect pedagogical techniques for elementary-aged students.  I will especially miss the many special families that I leave behind, but one of the great things about Crean is that I will have the opportunity to re-connect with several students who sang with me in elementary school and now will sing with me at Crean!

Thank you Lord for your blessing and abundant provision.  

First Anniversary

"We" just turned one.  

July 25th was our first anniversary and we celebrated by going out to dinner at Lucques on Melrose Avenue in LA. 

We had such a lovely time- the food was amazing, the atmosphere was warm and intimate, and the diamonds on the lady next to us were breathtaking.  Both of us woke up the next morning still full from the night before.  We ate outside on the patio and enjoyed each other's company (and the heating lamp).  

On Sunday, our actual anniversary, we slept in, walked down to Second Street for coffee, and did absolutely nothing else the rest of the day.  Nice!


Thank you Lord for a wonderful year of marriage to my best friend.

Like a Good Neighbor...

I had noticed the hose out in front was leaking every time I watered the garden. It seemed to be getting worse, but I'm no plumber.  Tony went out to water the other day and the the hose broke off completely! 

Water started pouring out - gallons and gallons- and we started running around looking for the water main.  Our neighbor in the back house heard the commotion and brought his girlfriend out- then all four of us started running around looking for the water main. It was slightly ridiculous. 

We searched the garages, under the house, tried for 15 minutes to turn it off at the street, called Roto Rooter who said "we'll have to call you back," tried the landlady who, we later found out, was on a cruise.  Needless to say the front yard was a lake by the time Tony finally found it buried in the front garden 45 minutes later.  The water had stopped flowing in the front, but there was none in any of the duplex units.  

Our neighbor across the street is a plumber (who wasn't at home when we needed him!) but later on that night was persuaded to cross the street and plug the broken pipe so we could have water that night.  He came over the next day and replaced the missing parts and voila!  We had a working hose again. 

I made a "Thank You Neighbor" cake (Funfetti with Rainbow Chip icing) and brought it around to all the gracious neighbors who saved us from flooding the neighborhood.  

Thank you neighbors!

A New Friend

I walked into the kitchen yesterday and found this visitor on the wall. Tony was gone so I had to take care of him myself. Yuck!

Bicycle! Bicycle!

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

We rescued this poor lonely bicycle from Mom and Dad's garage and Tony fixed him all up Memorial weekend.  I introduced him to the neighborhood and took him down to the beach.  All he need's is a basket and I can take him to the grocery store.  Yea!

A Bit of Home

Mom had this beautiful blue iris right out the back door.  I loved sitting at the breakfast table and watching it grow and blossom.  I've never been a big fan of irises but this one was gorgeous- it looked like a waterfall.

After Tony and I got married she gave me a cutting for our own garden.  We planted it in a nice sunny spot and waited 10 months for it to grow.  Boy was it worth it!  

It's been blooming for several weeks now- what a precious piece of home.

Bone to Pick

So the State of California is broke, in debt, having to raise taxes, issuing furlough days, etc...

Want to know why there's no money?  Because of silly issues like this!

We've asked many times for the tree in front of our house to be taken out.  The root system is just too big for the tiny few feet in the median between the sidewalk and the street.  Since it's a city tree we're not even allowed to trim it!  Trees are causing tons of damage to the sidewalks, water pipes, sewer systems, and lawns/landscaping in our neighborhood.  Believe me, we are not the first people to try to change the situation. 


Instead of replanting all the streets in LB with trees suitable for an urban environment (or just taking the trees out), the city comes by every once in awhile, jackhammers the sidewalks, digs up roots, and repaves the sidewalk, which can't be cheap.  This is in addition to the lawns, pipes, and sewer lines they are constantly having to replace that are destroyed by city trees. Now, I'm no economist, but wouldn't it be cheaper to just fix it once for good?  

They had to spend extra time hacking away at the roots of this one in front of our house. Wonder if it will make it!

We Heart Orchids

Tony bought this orchid about a year ago.  He decided to try to make it re-bloom so he clipped it,  fed it, and placed it in the front room where it's sunny and warm.  A few months ago we noticed buds forming on the stalk.  This is the second bloom in just a few weeks.  Gorgeous!

P.S.  Sorry Mark- I know these flower stories aren't particularly interesting to you...

Happy Mother's Day!

Show me Grandma!

Gotta love the cards that play music

Claire danced and danced and danced to it

Bell Peppers for Mother's Day

Starting to enjoy food from the garden

The aftermath of the German feast!  

Brat's, potato salad, corn on the cobs

Gotta keep him busy while we eat dinner

Wait!  You're not a Mommy!

Randy's offering to Mom

Dylan seems to really enjoy this spot

This is the best picture I've seen in a long time

Happy Mother's Day to both our Mom and our Mum!  

We are so thankful for the love and life you gave us

Clothesline

I wish I had a clothesline.  Perhaps I sound quaint, but nothing smells better than sun-warmed sheets.  I am super thankful for our darling little house and garden, but there are times when a private backyard would come in handy.  Like when it's hot and we want to eat outside.  Or sit in a blow-up pool.  Or cut down on the bills by drying laundry outside instead of using the dryer. 

In New Zealand everyone drys their laundry on a clothesline.  It cracks me up...even in the middle of winter when it rains everyday there are clothes hanging on the line.  Here, it never rains, and nobody uses a clothesline.

I think clotheslines should come back in style.  Heck- it could even be the trendy thing to do.

In the name of being Green and Thrifty during the Current Economic Crises...Use a Clothesline!

May 1st in the Garden

It's so beautiful!  It looks like I dreamed it would when Mom helped me plant it last August.  I picked huge handfuls of sweet peas to give to all the neighbors, we eat almost daily from the produce, and every morning brings a smile to my face to see how gorgeous it looks outside.

The humble beginning

The beautiful results!

My First Ham

I've never cooked a big piece of meat before.  When I lived at home that was always Dad's thing.  Since we've been married it's seemed a little silly to cook 10 pounds of meat for the two of us.

However, the day after Easter is a fantastic time to buy Lamb and Ham for a very good price.  So, I took the plunge and cooked my first ham last weekend.   

It turned out so well! We've been gobbling ham sandwiches, ham and egg Frittata, ham and potato soup... you name it, we've made it.  

Actually, I need a bit of a break from ham.  I think I'll make taco's tonight.

Things We Are Thankful For

Happy Saturday!  

As I write this the sun is pouring through the windows, the smell of fresh coffee is washing over me, I am rested after sleeping in, and very thankful for the many blessings God has given us.

We are thankful for the success of Tony's knee surgery.  He is able to walk around with very minimal pain and will begin Physical Therapy next week. 

One of the contributing factors to the quick healing of Tony's knee is our awesome Bledsoe Cooling Ice Therapy Machine.  It sounds a lot fancier than it actually is...

Basically, it's an ice cooler connected to an ice pack you wrap around your knee.  It keeps a constant supply of ice water circulating through the knee pad keeping swelling down and relieving pain.  A friend from church had the same surgery a few weeks ago and recommended the cooler.  It was going to cost $200 to rent one from Tony's insurance, and we could only find them online for over $100 plus shipping.  The morning of Tony's surgery he was double checking Craigslist again and he found one in Tustin for $40!  I went and picked it up right after the surgery and it has been a lifesaver.

Oh No!

Someone in the Kuyper's house had surgery this week!  

Why didn't you tell us about it? you ask.

Why didn't we all troop to the hospital to wish them well?  you are wondering.

Why didn't we bring casseroles and homemade cards? you are telling yourself.

Well the good news was that it was an arthroscopic outpatient surgery for Tony's torn Meniscus, and it was a success!  The surgery was a very quick outpatient surgery.  It was scheduled very soon after we found out it needed to be done, and thinking back, I didn't have much time to let people know and be asking for prayer.  

However, everything went well, and Tony is back on his feet- he wasn't even using crutches this morning. 

The surgeon came to see me directly after the surgery and showed me these really cool pictures of the inside of Tony's knee.  The meniscus is the part right below your kneecap (your patella) and if the tear is in the center it can simply be shaved off.  There is no point in repairing it as that part of you knee does not have any bloodflow, so the wound would be unable to heal.  If the tear occurs near the edge the surgeon will most likely do a minor reconstruction, which has a longer recovery time.  

We were praying that it would be in the center (centre) where the tear could simply be shaved down as the surgeon said it has the quickest recovery time, and Praise God, that's what it ended up being.  

Tony used his crutches for all of a day and a half, got back to driving yesterday, even swept the front porch on Saturday.  No stopping him!


We thank the Lord for our good health and that this was able to be taken care of quickly.  God gives us so much we don't deserve and this surgery was just another example.

Good News

My baby brother is engaged!

We threw a big engagement party at Mom and Dad's last Saturday for Randy and Taylor.  He proposed at the beach and brought her to the in-law's-to-be for some dessert and coffee.  Only he didn't tell her there were fifty people waiting for them to celebrate! Hmmm... sounds familiar.

Kate and I did the flowers (which wouldn't have been possible without the generous floral donations from Kate's mother's garden- thanks Mary!).

Sweet Pea's from our garden

The finished product

Baby Dylan loves his Uncle Tony.  He sat happily for hours with him while Kate and I did the flowers.

Stuck Sisters

The Dad's praying for their newly engaged children- my favorite part of the night.

Our Family is getting bigger!

As usual, big thanks to Kate for sharing her camera and pictures.

See all of her pictures at:

Randy and Taylor's Engagement Party

Easter... from Kate's Perspective

I'm so thankful my sister-in-law remembers to take pictures. 
Here are a few highlights :-)

Family Picture 

Minus Dylan who was taking a nap

The Easter Snapper (courtesy of New Zealand)

Easter Pavlova, a combined Kuypers creation

(also courtesy of New Zealand)

Uncle Tony

(once again, courtesy of New Zealand)

A lovely 'do from the newest hair stylist in the Family

Easter Earthquake

How many people does it take to feed one baby?

Uncle Tony and Aunty Katie are so helpful 
at locating "hidden" Easter Eggs

Check out more great pictures at the link below:

Kate's Easter Pictures

My Husband is Wonderful

I just spent about four hours (well, it felt like four) fixing all the craziness that happened to our blog when I tried to edit the background- just the background, mind you.  I wasn't even trying to do anything fancy!

After several episodes of "Project Runway" to keep me company, countless questions asked of the not-so-helpful Google Search Engine (I needed Ryan Slack) and even a few grunts of despair, it's all back to the way it was, sans the boring black background.

I've discovered several truths in the process-

1. I am not a fan of Blogger

2. I am a fan of Project Runway

3. I am not as dumb as I thought I was, if the vast amounts of people asking the same questions about blog issues on chat pages are any indication

4. My husband is pretty cool - he deals with this stuff all day long, only does it much faster and it looks WAY better.  Good job sweetie!

Happy Easter

Kuypers Easter Basket

Cadbury Mini-Caramel Eggs for Tony

Giant Cadbury Creme Eggs for me

I guess we're Cadbury Egg People

Sheepy looks hungry.  No candy for you!

Mom and Dad also gave us Easter Baskets.  

We'll be eating candy for years to come...

A New Interest in the Kuypers House

Last month our book club read 
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." 

Thanks Carol for the great recommendation!  We each had a fantastic time reading it.  It took me forever to finish because I kept looking up all the other authors mentioned in the book and reading their books and essays. 

We held the meeting at our house and Tony joined us for dinner, invariably getting sucked into the discussion.  He mentioned a TV mini-series that offered a different perspective of the same topic called "Island at War."    

*Warning: This movie is not for children and is a real life depiction of war, so don't watch it if you're squeamish or easily disturbed.  I've let Tony finish several episodes by himself.