California, Here We Come!

In part of our efforts for the "new, improved Tanii" (hard to improve on perfection though, right?), we decided to do a different sort of vacation than what we typically choose. Our vacations in the past has been to go somewhere with a beach or a nice pool or a nice shopping area nearby. Very scenic. We knew we wanted to go when Derek was on Spring Break and were looking into renting a place in St. Thomas or the like...when we decided to actually do a road trip down Highway 1 in California. It's something we've always talked about and wanted to do, but never really committed.

Criteria for our trip:

• No chains (hotels, restaurants, etc.)
• No big souvenirs (no need to come home with tons of stuff we won't use or don't need...or can buy here)
• Pack light (one carryon and one personal item each)

Not too difficult, right? We'll leave tomorrow and fly out of Peoria to Phoenix, so that we can see our friends, the Schippers before heading the rest of the way to the coast! We'll be gone for a whole week, with the trip split into two parts more or less. The first half will be more scenic, and the second half will be more touristy. Pretty excited...and oddly not nervous. Ask me tomorrow, and I'll give you a different story! I will try to update...more or less. See you!

Welcome to Our World

This is our blog. I know, this is so 2006. Whatevs, man! If you're wondering why the name is different, just know it is really hard to say "Tanis's." It's Tanii. Like Octopi. Trust me, it's just better. I hope this will keep you entertained, or at least updated, on our life together and things we've learned and accomplished along the way.

The Tanii, est. 11/2007.

This past week, for some crazy reason, it is hitting me that I am 28. And a half. (But who's counting?) For those of you that know me, you know that I joke and/or freak out about my age periodically and I will definitely be one of those people who has to be dragged out of bed on my 30th, 40th, etc. birthdays. (Fair warning, my friends, fair warning.) As I said though, I am 28. Why is that hitting me now?

Because I planned to have a four year degree by now. Because I planned to have moved out of this state by now. Because Derek was going to be done with school by now. Because we planned to have fixed up this house and sold it by now. Because we planned to have four kids with the soccer mom SUV because I don't want to drive a minivan by now.

Ambitious.

Because I feel like everything we planned on accomplishing hasn't happened in the time frame that WE wanted it.

What's wrong with this picture?

James 4:13-16 says this:
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"--yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance."

Ambitious? Try arrogant. Our life has not gone the way we planned, clearly. We have no kids, Derek is still in school, I am not in school, we still live in this house in all its 1930s glory, etc. Is it wrong to have hopes and dreams? I don't think so. Do we still want those things to happen? Most definitely. We are needing to remember and are working on waiting for God's timing, not ours. If we are only on Earth for that brief of a period of time (think: exhaling outside in freezing weather), then we need to adjust our perspectives on the life together that God has given us.

Our new goals? Here's a list--and this time there's no "age limit":

• Use our time and resources wisely
• Enjoy the world God has given us
• Live with as few regrets as possible
• Reflect Christ in our lives

What does that all entail? How cheesy would it be for me to say "Stay tuned!"? Too bad!

Stay tuned! Peace out, my friends!