I really need you in my life

[Wait For You, Elliot Yamin]

Ok, my dear man Jason just never has time to update. Ergo, I shall on his behalf.

So, last week, he went to work, and a man stopped him and said, "Hey, you were on TV this morning" (or something to that effect). Long story short, the guy was watching 1st... and 10 on ESPN, which just so happens to be our much loathed Skip Bayless' show.

We, primarily in jest, sent wedding invites to Bill Simmons, Adam Morrison, and Skip Bayless (though Jas holds out hope they'll actually come!). Additionally, we sent an invite for all at Jason's work, so they put it up on a bulletin board that everyone sees. The guy watching the ESPN show heard Bayless saying something about not going to some wedding, and suddenly realized that he recognized the invitation Bayless was holding as the same one on the bulletin board at work! So... Jas and I were sort of on TV :)

Then, it gets better-- yesterday I received a few more RSVP's for the wedding, and one was postmarked from New York, NY. We invited people I know from Rochester, NY (yeah, that yo' mom and pop, Bec!) so Jas just sort of assumed it was from them. Instead, it was totally from Skip! Yeah, that's right, we're on a first name basis now. Granted, I still think he's a terrible sportscaster! But first name basis stands. ;)

There was some bullocks about also being a Christian and believing his duty was to tell the truth, which was why he knocked on the 'Hawks and Ammo-- yeah, I went there-- BULLOCKS!, but it was pretty decent of him to respond.

Since this has a sports theme, may I also just say that I LOVE THEM? I finally watched the ESPY's that I recorded over a month ago (that would be the sports awards done by ESPN, for you non-rock stars who don't know). Sports are just so moving. They go beyond conflict, beyond race and gender and grudges and hate, rising above and uniting people in that moment when the touchdown is scored, the home run is hit, the three pointer knocked down, the puck or futbol hits the net.

In a world where religion and skin color sets one person against another at birth due to deeply rooted prejudices, it's incredible that regardless of race, nation, or creed we can feel that burst of triumph when David- Boise State- takes down Goliath- Oklahoma- in the Fiesta Bowl. We smile and nod when Peyton finally gets his ring. A tear smarts our eye when the Saints take the field for the first time in the Superdome and it's about so much more than just a football game. They gave that stadium- and a city, a region, a country, even the world- hope that ruins can rise up in triumph.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate hope. But how beautiful it is when a simple game defies adversity and unites those who normally would never even meet eyes if passing by on the street-- or even those who intentionally never end up on the same street.

I love sports.

We have some bias of our own-- Go Mariners! Go Seahawks! And we still have a special place in our hearts for the Patriots and Red Sox :)

In the arms of Your mercy I find rest

[East to West, Casting Crowns]

SO much has been happening... I know I've done a terrible job of updating! We've really been that busy. Just thing after thing after thing to be done... ugh! But it's good, and it's for such a wonderful purpose- we're en route to becoming man and wife!

I feel like there must be really wonderful, insightful, meaningful things to say... but, if there are, they seem to have escaped me :) So, suffice it to say that I LOVE this new song (the one referenced in the title) because I so often relate to it's message- the feeling of being just one more mistake away from belonging to Christ at all. But instead, I am reminded that Jesus removes my sin as far as the east is from the west- they never meet. I am not defined by my sin. Such a needed reminder.

In other news... Jason has a very exciting story to tell. I think it's puh-retty stinking awesome, too, but I'll wait for him to be able to tell it because I think he'll just really love that :)

Other than that, life is wonderful, I love every second of planning the day that will end with me becoming the wife of my favorite man in the world, and I am increasingly blessed day by day to grow more intimate with Christ. I won't pretend there aren't trying moments, but overall I simply have a wonderful life.

Praise be to God :) I'll try to promise another update by next Thursday! No more slacking! Boooooo!

And... still busy!

Hello all! Sorry to say that we're still ridiculously busy. Jason's still pulling 90 hour workweeks and I recently started working at the local water district doing office work. The invitations came Thursday so this weekend's agenda is full.

I need to assemble the invitations, make the little extra insert (with info like where we're registered, the website address, etc), and get the website completely finito. Lots o' work!

So... that said... I have to keep on keepin' on!

I hope you're all having a glorious summer-- love ya!

Your praise becomes my song

[Filled With Your Glory, Starfield]

BUSY! Ahhh! Ergo, bullet points :)

• Starfield is an amazing band. Seriously. Go buy and download their self-titled album on iTunes. Right. This. Second.
  
  
• Jas and I arrived safely 2 1/2 weeks ago here in Bothellopolis. Or Bothell. Whatever.
  
  
• I LOVE the new apartment! It's big and nice and like 3 minutes from I-405. I'm learning my way around the area decently well, so that's happy too :) Pics shall come when I have a wee bit more time :)
  
  
• We've been SUPER busy. We registered, which was REALLY fun, bought the stuff we need now that can't wait for the hopes of being a wedding gift, I've worked on all that comes with moving to a completely new place, etc. Not to mention that Jas is still working 85 or so hours a week. And I've been trying to keep things rolling with wedding planning. Yowza.
  
  
• We went camping for 2 1/2 days last weekend at Steamboat Rock. Despite reapplying SPF 45 about 6 times in 5 hours I still got a sunburn. LAME. But I then put on aloe vera like 5 times a day so no peeling, which is REALLY nice :) Once again, pics to come when I haves me a little time.
  
  
• I went to my first few Marier's games at Safeco. I. LOVE. IT. Jason and I are already plotting for how soon we can become season ticket holders! I am not kidding. We're pretty sure we're going to do like at least the 16 game pack next year or something. I love the Mariners. I really need to start praying everyday that we can re-sign Ichiro since he's becoming a free agent after this season. Oh, and I really love the Red Sox but we went to the first game in the series sweep and... well, Boston fans are really horribly obnoxious. Sort of tainted my love a little. I was torn between two loves, but the lameness of the vast majority of the Sox fans inspired me to REALLY cheer on the M's, and I'm sure glad I did because I am quite certain that my yells were what spurred the M's to victory.
  
  
• OOOOOOHHHHHHH! In my first four viewings of Seattle at bats at my first game, in which I got to see Ken Griffey, Jr, who was visiting with the Reds, play, I also saw my first grand salami! Seriously- three guys up to the plate and then on base, and then BOOM, grand slam out o' the park. It was SWEET! Oh, and Safeco calls home runs "funk blasts" and grand slams "funk slams" and they play, "We want the funk, gotta have that funk" every time someone (well, a Mariner) hits a home run and it's always stuck in my head now!! We saw quite a few home runs in our two outings thus far.
  
  
• I've been working on invitations, coordinating with bridal shower plans, and a wedding website. All of that info is to come :)
  
  
• I got a job! Starting tomorrow I'll be working at the Alderwood Water District doing reception/clerical work. Exactly what I want :) And it's a temp position through August 24, so I'll be able to take a few weeks off right when things kick into CRAZY for wedding stuffs. Plus, it's really close to the apartment (like a 15 minute drive, but only 7 miles) which is also lovely. And it pays pretty well. Then, I'll look for something a little better and more permanent after la wedding. Yay!
  
  
• Aight, I need to spend some time with the Lord, and then be off to Trader Joe's and Costco.
  

There's a meaning to the world

...we're giving love.
[Meaning, Gavin DeGraw]

All right, so it's been 87 years. Sorry about that. I've been BUSY. And then busier.

School ended last Friday. All weekend I worked on packing at my house, and saying good-byes. I tried to believe that this is actually my life, that school is ending and that who I have been for two years is segueing into someone else. From Mz. TK to Mrs. Hagglund. It's real, but still sure doesn't feel like it.

Jason is doing all of his pools in 3 days while still picking up a DDP shift tonight. That man is amazing. And all mine :)

He flies out tomorrow night on a red-eye from SeaTac to RDU (Raleigh-Durham). He should get to NC by 8:30 Thursday morning, eastern time. Then he'll go pick up the U-Haul, drive to my house, where I will be 100% packed and waiting. We'll load the truck, steal some time for kisses (you KNOW that's right!), and then go get my stuff from school. While there I'll tie up a few loose ends, hopefully pick up my bonus check, go to the bank, and then, in a wonderful world, hit the road by 4 pm.

From there, it's 16 hours and 978 miles to lovely Darla in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa. Yup- we're driving through the night. I prefer it that way. Less traffic, and I like the night :) We'll have my sexy iPod to keep us up on the sweet tunes, and likely his Nano is coming back east as well, so between us we'll be fine.

We should get in around 10 am Friday. We'll sleep for 6 or so hours, eat a delicious dinner made by my darling Darla, then hit the road again by 8:30 pm. Then it's 1,500 miles and 21 hours (that's without stops, PS) to the big Missoula, MT. We gain an hour again, but will probably get in around 9 or 10 at night on Saturday. We'll have to stop for gas, but beyond that I'm all about just GETTING there asap.

The plan is to spend Sunday with Jas' dad and stepmother, and possibly to see his brother, and then to hit the road again Monday. We gain another hour, but it's almost 500 miles and another 7 hours. We'll try to hit the road by like 7 am so we can get to the apartment, sign the papers, unload the truck, and try to just rest. Tuesday will be spent unpacking, figuring out what we need to purchase, etc, and then Jas gets back to work Wednesday.

So... yeah. You likely won't hear from us for about a week. Hopefully the next time you do it will be to hear that we are settling me into what will be our apartment when we get married!

Come together, right now, over me

[Come Together, The Beatles]

So... per the song in the headline, things are really starting to come together for Jas and me! Yesterday I got a crap-ton-o'-stuff from a friend in Raleigh (just so you west coasters know... it's pronounced rahl-ee (like... doll-eee, but Raleigh), not "rally". *shudders*

Anyway, I got a queen sized bed, a table and chairs, and night stands, plus random stuff from a little drawers-shelvy thing for a bathroom to a shower curtain, lamps to a matching toaster and coffee pot, and a rug to garbage cans. Lots of stuff. And it was all carried down from the third floor... FUN. Not. But good stand in for a workout.

Then, today Jas picked up a TV for us-- it's sweet! 32" flat screen! Happy day for me (well, us, but I care more about the electronics than he does, so... yah.)!! And we got it on craigslist so we paid well under half of the $500 it costs new. Yay!

I also started packing today- I got all school stuffs loaded into my car, and all of my stuff from upstairs down here to the basement, other than my food. My goal this week is to just get a few boxes a night done so I don't have those super-mega-stressful days at the end. I've always operated on the mega-stress time o' meter (that makes no sense, but bite me) but here's to trying the slowly-but-surely-less-stress way.

Oh, and Jason's living in an RV. It's actually a rather nice RV, so he's doing well for himself :)

So... that's us! Hope all is well with you, and I'll try to get a few pics of the minimally organized chaos that is my life right now up for y'all.

One more thing-- this is my last week of teaching! Nuts!!

Pictures!

Jason posted some pictures of his time with moi in NC in April. You can go check 'em out here:

Jason's Pics with Tam in NC

It's Jason's birthday!

Leave him some birthday lovin'!

It's also the day Mt. St. Helens blew her top in western WA. I personally think that this is because the world was getting warned that an incredible man who would change the world was about to be born :)

Don't worry, Jason would never say that! But I'm in love with him and I get to tell the world how great he is as much as I want to!

So... Jason's great! Leave some love!

PS The big cross country move is in a mere 27 days. Yesssss!!

There now, steady, Love; so few come and don't go...

... will you, won't you, be the one I'll always know?
[Look After You, The Fray]

I would just like to point out that I loved this song a full year ago. Or more.

I've been thinking about something a lot today. It's based on something my roommate Elise said... I live my life in the future. I mean, in regards to my relationship with Jason, for as much as we try to embrace today, so much of our focus is on our future.

June 14, when he gets here and we see each other again for the first time in almost 80 days. June 17, when I meet his family. June 18, when we move me into what will be our apartment. September 8, when I become his wife. December whatever-ith, when he takes the LSAT. God willing, the fall of '08, when he starts law school. I even eat for the future- I can eat that cupcake (I REALLY crave cupcakes lately) but it will take up residence on my hips and thighs and likely will still be calling those areas home when I'm trying to look beautiful for my wedding day. I work out so that I will look better later, or will have a healthier heart later, but not because in this moment it's what I want and need.

Granted, this isn't wrong. But it's fact. I am reminded that God tells me to concern myself with what He has for me today, because tomorrow has enough troubles of its own.

I want to get to that place where I exercise now, for today, because I want that rush of my blood coursing through my veins, muscles screaming, the exhilaration of endorphins releasing into my consciousness. I want to refuse to eat the cupcake- refuse to buy the cupcake, even, which I sure wasn't strong enough to do on Friday!- because today I want to eat for the glory of God, not for the gluttony of my taste buds. I want to talk to Jason daily and enjoy who he is right now, in this moment, and not because of how tangible he'll be when I'm in his arms in 32 days-- oh, you know we're counting. All things considered, and as contradictory to this post as it may seem, how could we not?

I know what this requires- settling in my mind, by faith, that God is God of every little moment. To live for this instant without concern for what may or may not come tomorrow or next week or next month or next year. And it's still not wrong to think about the future. It would be rather foolish to live without taking the consequences of today's choices and actions into account. I just want to embrace right now, now, and not regret the past and what has gone by.

So here's to today. In the meantime, I won't hesitate to glance at the beautiful ring on my finger and smile with the knowledge of the promise it holds.

... and the two shall become one

In the book of Genesis, God tells Adam that man will leave his father and mother and join together with his wife and become one flesh. If you go to Bible Gateway and look up "become one flesh" there's a good smattering of results from both the old and new testaments. If you're interested you can look here.

This is actually relevant :) This weekend I was talking to a roommate who admitted that she had only just recently come to terms with the fact that just because my relationship doesn't look the way she would want hers to doesn't mean it's inherently wrong. It would be wrong for her, but since my relationship is actually exactly what I want it's perfectly ok to be right for me.

See, my roommate sincerely can't imagine a life in which she doesn't have a separate bank account from her husband, or in which she doesn't do at least a solid chunk of the driving when in the car. I, on the other hand, can't imagine not having the same bank account as my husband or ever being expected to drive (though my beloved has a questionable- at best- driving record).

Basically, she realized that we want very separate things. She doesn't want a relationship in which she blends into her husband and loses her independence and individuality. To her it's a major turn-off to be in a relationship in which she becomes one with her husband, and it made her rather uncomfortable to see me beginning to already have my identity blend with Jason's in such a way that I was melding into one with him. That, to her was extremely unsetttling because it simply isn't something she would ever want. But she finally realized that just because she doesn't want it, I do, and that I'm happy and would never desire what she wants.

This made me wonder- why do I want to have a marriage where I blend into one with my husband in so many ways? I can't imagine a marriage where I would be anything but completely operating as one unit in every applicable way (obviously there are areas where we still have separate lives, like certain friendships and such, but you get the point). Also, once Jas finishes law school and we're ready, I want to be a stay-at-home mom and raise a big family (we plan to adopt at least two, but we want six kids. We already know their names!). The roommate not only doesn't want that, but would most likely hate it and would never marry a man who would want her to stay home.

So, again, why do I want these things? I didn't even know people actually had marriages with separate checking accounts (and a joint house account, but still... to me, marriage is not "my money" and "your money"-- it's "our money". Jas actually once insinuated that soon enough I'll be spending all his money and he quickly learned that you just don't say that to the woman you plan to marry; at least, not if she's Tami Lee Keyser!). I realized that most of my closest friends are like-minded in this aspect, notably my three closest friends from college. But what led me to think this way? Is it my upbringing? My dad always drives, my parents share a checking account... so what is it?

Then I realized that in God's Word he tells a man to leave his mother and father and become one flesh with his wife. This doesn't just mean sexually- obviously the man wasn't sexually one with his mother and father premaritally. It means one heart, one mind, one goal. The same hopes and dreams. Like minded on issues of parenting, finances, ministry, and spiritual matters in general. One. That is, to me, truly the beauty of marriage. Obviously it is a process, to become one with another person after what will have been nearly 26 years of looking after only myself, but the best part is that it's not just two mere humans trying to force themselves into this awkward mess that is the ambiguous "one"-- we will have Jesus Christ knitting us together!

And, speaking of Jesus-- I love Him so much. I am in awe of who He is and all He has done. I'll give an entry on that soon enough! Suffice it to say, I love becoming one with Jason and I love that God has written it on my heart to do so, and that I know it is part of living according to God's Word to do so!

Take my hand now, we'll run forever...

... I'll stay with you [Stay With You, Goo Goo Dolls]

This blog is dedicated to the relationship of Jason and Tami :) We got engaged a week and a half ago! Here's the story from Tami's POV...

I knew Jas would be waiting for me when I got home but I wasn't sure where he'd be or how things would happen. I knew also that Jas wanted to propose almost the minute he saw me, so I was full of anticipation!

I got home, and called out for him... nothing. So I checked quickly upstairs, but nothing. I went downstairs to my room and found that he had placed some gifts on my bed (two DVD's- The Pursuit of Happyness and Stranger than Fiction, a baseball he caught at a Mariner's game, some cream for rubbing my feet, and... a CD of Weird Al Yankovic songs. Yup, true story.) But there was no Jason in my room. I looked in the closet, behind the door, in the shower in the bathroom, all throughout the basement, in the downstairs garage, and then outside... but then I realized that if he was outside on the deck and I saw him from down below that would ruin his mojo, so I went upstairs, looked outside on the deck, saw no Jason, and started to get annoyed! I looked EVERYWHERE. Ev. Ree. WHERE. Argh!

After some frustration and ten minutes of scouring my house, I finally went back to my room to see if somehow Jas had squeezed into a cabinet. And... alas, there he was, sitting in my desk chair! We embraced, and just enjoyed finally being in one another's presence after so many months apart (we last saw each other in January). After a while, Jason started telling me about how blessed he is to have been blessed by God in this amazing love story that the Lord has written.

The things he said were beautiful and wonderful and melted my heart... too bad I remember so few of them! It was so good that I started to wonder if he had written it and then memorized it-and just as that occurred to me he said, "I was going to write this down, but then I realized that I'm best with you when things just flow naturally, so this is coming straight from my heart." Well, those weren't the exact words, but that was certainly pretty close to what he said!

Then he said, "You got some presents from me already, but I brought you something else." Then he turned and got the ring box, got on one knee and... said really wonderful things about Christ being the center of our relationship, me being far beyond the woman of his dreams, and how he's been so blessed to have been a part of God writing our love story to this point, and he asked me to join him in allowing God to write our love story for the rest of our lives. Then he said something along the lines of if I'd grant him the immeasurable joy of becoming his wife (I might be making that up! I need him to help me out there!) and opened the ring box... I just stared at him and nodded my head.

I then of course, "Yes! I mean, I need to say it out loud! Yes, Jason, I'll marry you!". It was grand. And he of course laughed because all I could seem to do was nod my head and not give an actual answer :) It was so sweet and wonderful and... I love him! I can't wait to marry him!

So that's the engagement story. Later I'll tell you more about the rest of our week together, and for those uninformed, sooner or later there will be the "how we met and the rest of our story". But, for now, here's a link to see pictures of our week together!

Spring Break '07-- Jas and Tami!!