Guitar Hero

Look out America, there's some real talent brewing in Yakima! Micah has started guitar lessons, and wherever Micah is, there stands Titus in his shadow. Not to be outdone by his older brother (who is doing really well at guitar!), Titus decided to show everyone his awesome, rock star talent. Enjoy :)

Parker Palooza II

It seems like anytime Parkers get together, it's always crazy, loud, and fun, and this time was no exception! We had grandparents from Florida, family from New England, plus all the usual suspects. What was the special occasion? Grandpa Parker's 80th Birthday!! We were so thankful to be able to host our East Coast family for a few days -- they made it to Easter service at our church, and also got to do a little Seattle sightseeing. Then it was off to Yakima to continue the celebration with Kristin, Bryan, and the great-grandkids! We squeezed quite a bit of fun into 2 days in Yakima, not to mention squeezing quite a bunch of people into one house (18 to be exact!). We are so thankful for Grandpa Parker; he is a man of generosity, love, and service (I already miss his help in the kitchen!). It was a great blessing to get to celebrate his 80th year with him and see how many lives he has impacted. Happy Birthday Grandpa!

One of the many birthday cakes...Grandpa
got a bit of help with this one! :)

Easter dinner at our house.


When in Seattle...

It really is a nice view from up there!

Another one of Grandpa's birthday cakes...we
made sure everyone knew he was turning 80!!

Grandpa, Grammy, and their boys.

This was the grand finale of the cakes...by this
time he was an expert. :)

A glimpse into the parker-packed Pichura house.

Titus sporting some serious style as he gets ready to cheer Micah on!

Micah's first time pitching-- he did a great job!

Micah's cheering section
Those socks are just too cute to not show off again ;)

Because you can never have too much baseball in the Parker house,
another game started up as soon as we got home from Micah's game!

The Parker ladies-- Aunt Judy, Grammy, and Mom Parker.

I know it's probably evident, but isn't he adorable?!
Only 4, and he's already got perfect form!

David and Grandpa.

Our niece Grace and their dog Tessie.

The Pichura family

Aren't they cute? :)

Grammy and Grandpa Parker.
Responsible for...

THIS!! :)

Easter Egg Fun

A friend invited me to a girl's night decorating eggs. I haven't done that in ages, so I decided to give it a whirl. I ended up with some pretty nasty looking fingers, but some rather nice looking eggs, in my humble opinion. :) Sometimes I get carried away taking pictures of rather mundane things, and this definitely qualifies as one of those times. David kept saying "you're still taking pictures?!" So, feel free to skip this one if eggs aren't you're thing, but hopefully someone will enjoy them. (thanks Mom ;)

Spring is finally here!

After days and days of doom and gloom, Spring has finally arrived in Seattle...for a few days at least. Today everything was bursting with color...I'm always amazed at the varying colors, shapes, and smells of Spring. I took a few pictures on my walk to work this morning "just because." I couldn't ask for a better commute! :)

ABC put out a little preview of the debate that will be aired tomorrow night...noticed a few "cut and pastes", but it's pretty good! Hope you'll be able to watch!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7165734

A Night with Nightline

We had a very different type of date tonight-- we went to an ABC Nightline debate hosted by Mars Hill! The debate was on the existence of Satan, and our pastor was one of the contributors. It was very interesting, and at times, a very heated debate. If you want to watch the edited version (the debate was about 2 hours and I think the show is only about 20 minutes), it will air this next Thursday, March 26th at 11:35pm. I won't give any "spoilers" so you'll have to watch next week. :)

A New State of Mind

The title of our blog has taken on a few different meanings over the last 22 months...I originally picked it because we were moving to a new State, and felt called to be part of a new mission. Today, it gained one more meaning... This week, God showed me that focusing on myself, even if it's out of frustration with my sin, leads to death. I can get so frustrated with myself, or my situation, that it gets me depressed and then I just wallow in self-pity ...And God showed me that I choose to take this route because I want control, and I'm not getting it! He revealed my true heart with these verses Rm. 8:6,7,8--"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law..." --> When I choose to go to self-pity/depression, it's because I do not want to submit to God's control and plan in that situation...and I choose to "set my mind" on myself and my failures as a desperate ploy to gain control. God showed me today that it isn't disobedience to be frustrated with my situation or my sin, but it is sin to choose to stay there. And why stay in that place, when I can use that moment to remind myself of Christ's work on the Cross (for my failures) and have a greater appreciation for the sacrifice He made for me!

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