Reflecting, Praying & Playing

Ahhhhh...the smell of the pine trees and fresh air. Glen and I LOVE the outdoors, never seem to get enough of it! Since we both had a few days off from our jobs we decided to get a cheap cabin up in Big Bear for two nights and we're so glad we did...the last "HOORAH" before baby Thompson arrives. We had a relaxing time reading, catching up on sleep, praying and lots of walking. Daisy absolutely loved it too, fun to see her so happy! Hope you enjoy the pics~

Looks like the Glenster is getting a little excited about Seattle perhaps?

Spare Time

Since the two coolest T-2 chicks wrote their little top 5 list up and asked me to do mine, how could I possibly refuse. Here's to you Tammy & Celeste...and whomever wants to respond!

~Shilo

Top 5 Things I Can't Live Without Under $5
1. Good ol' fashioned scoop (or two!) of ice cream
2. Sub sandwich at Ralph's (only $3.99 and loaded w/ good stuff)
3. Peanut butter for Daisy's bone toy, she really loves this!
4. Iced Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks
5. Blueberries

5 Favorite Movies
1. Pride & Prejudice
2. Braveheart
3. Gladiator
4. Elf
5. Some Jim Carrey flicks

5 Baby Names I'll Never Use
1. Nimrod
2. Gertrude
3. Dorothy
4. Rosemary
5. Bartholemew

Top 5 Baby Names I Would Use
1. Can't reveal this one since it's the surprise name of our soon-to-be-born boy :)
2. Savannah
3. Madeleine
4. Caleb
5. Can't think of anymore right now...

Top 5 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over Again
1. Amazing Grace (have to agree with Celeste on this one)
2. Be Thou My Vision
3. Power of the Cross-Gettys'
4. One Day You Will-McBride
5. Some Oldies...Country

Top 5 People Who Have Influenced Me in a Positive Way
1. God/Christ/Holy Spirit
2. Sweetest man in my eyes-Glen
3. Dad
4. Mom
5. Crystal

Top 5 Items in my Purse at All Times
1. Wallet
2. Keys
3. Cell phone
4. Lip gloss
5. Lip liner

Top 5 Events that have Changed my Life Forever
1. Salvation
2. Marrying Glen
3. Pregnancy
4. Moving to CA 6 yrs. ago
5. Going to Grace Community Church

Top 5 Current Obsessions
1. Sleep
2. Eating
3. Planning for Baby
4. Cleaning
5. Playing with Daisy girl (Beagle)

Top 5 Places I'd Like To Go
1. Italy
2. Israel
3. Germany
4. New Zealand
5. Chicago

Top 5 People I'd Like To See Their Top 5
1. Jen
2. Emily
3. Crystal
4. Karen
5. Michelle

The Graduate

The day has finally come...Glen graduates from The Master's Seminary!! After a long 4 1/2 year stretch, we celebrated his accomplishment for receiving his Master's of Divinity this last weekend. We are so grateful for all that we have learned through school here. Hope you enjoy the "receiving the degree" video (along with our good friend Ryan Trzeciak) and other graduation pics!

Glen w/ his parents (Bill & Barbara)

The beaming graduate w/ his bride

With good friends Joseph & Bryan & wife (Faith)

A FEW PRE-GRADUATION SHOTS:

Shilo & brotha' Jake

Joe (Shilo's step-dad) & Mom along w/ Glen's parents

Our dear Trzeciak friends at the graduation banquet!

Shilo w/ friends Michelle and Delphine :)

What Day Is It?

Greetings! Our title tells all as we look back over the last month of our lives...from work, ministry at the Korean church, birthing classes at the hospital, doctor appointments, flying to Seattle twice, school, taking care of our Daisy girl (whom we recently had to take to the vet!) and all the in between, it has been pretty crazy to say the least. Oh and did I mention Glen got really sick too? Phew...but despite all of it our God has proven to be faithful as He has sustained us and given us joy amidst the "chaos". So here are the updates:

1. Mommy & baby BOY are healthy and well! We had our 29/30 week check up yesterday and all is moving along quite nicely. We have a little over 2 more months and then we can see our little guy. Here's a picture of the handsome man (the "Glen clone" mommy thinks) below...

2. We are MOVING to Seattle!! After many e-mails, phone conversations, two separate trips and lots and lots of prayer, Faith Bible Church (http://www.fbcseattle.org/) has offered Glen the position of Associate Pastor of Family Ministries and he thankfully accepted. We are honored to come alongside this church and body of believers. The tentative plan of WHEN to move is not set yet. We have much to think through and plan still but we couldn't be more thankful to God for His provision and guidance as seminary soon comes to a close. Here are a few pics from our last trip below...

Pastor Mike & his wife Lyanne show us around Seattle before we head out

Dick's Burgers in Seattle=In N' Out in L.A. (well...sort of). Thanks Mike and Lyanne! :)

Glen and I LOVED our hotel (Sierra Bellevue), highly recommend it!

3. Shilo went to a luncheon at the MacArthur home this last Saturday. All the seminary wives whose husbands are graduating were invited to share lunch with Patricia MacArthur (Pastor John's wife) and my friend Jen and I were able to enjoy lunch with her at the table. It was pretty unreal, I know it sounds corny :). I guess when you have looked up to your pastor for a number of years of a large church, it was a neat time getting to know her and a few of the other ladies. I was encouraged by the love she has for her family and the church as a whole, it felt relaxing being there. Anyways, one of the many great endings of seminary coming soon to a close. Here are a few pics of the time there...

Me & Patricia

Their beautiful gardenJen & I loved the kitchen!

In their library study (aren't we such dorks?)

On Another Note...

Glen & I fly out again this weekend (19th/20th) for more interviews with the pastors, elders and executive boards. There will be some more time with others from the congregation as well. We are trusting God for His best and appreciate any prayers if you remember us. As always, we'll keep you posted! ~G&S

Showering Jen

This last Saturday, I (Shilo) threw a baby shower for my good friend Jen Trzeciak at our home and it was such a relaxing, wonderful time!! Jen's husband, Ryan, goes to seminary with Glen and we all try to hang out together when we can. Doesn't Jen look so beautiful? :) She is a mother of two boys and is having their first girl in June. Everyone brought yummy food--overall what a sweet time of fellowship, eating (of course!), hearing "mommy" wisdom from Missy Mehringer and watching Jen open all her gifts. We love you Jen!

Post-Seattle Trip Update

Hello all, we got back late Sunday night from our first trip to Seattle! Right when we arrived on Saturday afternoon, we were whisked away to a home where we met about 10-15 of the search committee and had a 2 hour Q&A time. After that, they welcomed us with a nice homecooked meal...then we were whisked away again to another home where we spent time with about 15 junior high kids and a few of the parents. We played games, shared our testimonies and Glen spoke a little from John 15 (Christ being the vine and we being the branches). On Sunday, we had a tour of the church, sat in on a Sunday school class and observed the worship service in the sanctuary. Our final destination was to the Pastor's home where we ate lunch with he and his wife along with the Associate Pastor and his wife. It was a great time of hearing more about the ministry at Faith Bible Church and their hearts for the people there.
Overall, we had a wonderful experience! The next step is for us to fly out there again on April 19th/20th to go over more detail about the position and salary/benefits. Thank you for all who thought and prayed for us! We will definitely be keeping you updated as things continue to progress. We would be thrilled to serve alongside this church if God wills :).

By the way, we had our 6 1/2 month check-up and baby BOY Thompson is active, strong and moving all around. We have a good three more months to go, can't believe it!!

Heading to Seattle!

This Saturday, Glen and I will be making the trek to Seattle, WA to interview at a church. We are all set to go and are waiting on the Lord to see how things will unfold. Please keep us in your prayers if you are reading this...thank you so much. We'll keep you posted! ~G&S

Easter Weekend & After

On Friday night before the
Easter service, we held a Last Supper with the kids. Glen taught on the events that led up to Christ's death and the Resurrection. The kids were able to enjoy the Passover meal with unleavened bread (tortillas!), roasted lamb (chicken!), applesauce and Thyme herbs. The evening turned out much better than we had anticipated, which was huge blessing.

Catching a few of the kids before Easter service started!

We gave Mrs. Kuh flowers (who helps with the children)

Hangin' out with the Pre-schoolers after the singing program

Here it is, the Inn on Summer Hill in Santa Barbara. My (Shilo) boss gave us two nights at a bed & breakfast as a Christmas gift. We had such a refreshing time getting away a few days and enjoying the sunshine and beaches. Gotta love California!

Yep, don't know if you can tell above, but it's a dog with a cat lying on its back with two rats on the cat's back. Man oh man...can't we all just get along!! :)

Catch Up!

I know I know...seems like awhile since we wrote last but a lot has gone on in the last few weeks. I guess I'll start by saying that Glen and I have been talking with a church in Seattle, WA for the last several months and just recently heard that they want to fly us out there to meet them. The plan is to go out on March 29th/30th and the position that Glen will be interviewing for is Associate Pastor of Family Ministries. From what we have learned about the church so far, we are encouraged. We covet your prayers as we patiently wait for whatever the Lord wills for our lives. We'll keep you posted!

Here it is, the other big news. We got a new (used) car!! About a week ago, Glen's Ford Explorer died on us so after much research and working through the trade-in value/finances, we were able to buy this 2004 Mazda Tribute. It will mainly be for me (Shilo)with the baby coming up...Glen likes to call it the 'chick' car which I like to refer to it as more of the...'mommy' car (heh heh).

Man oh man, look at that belly! It feels like I've grown tons in these last few months. Here I am at 22 1/2 weeks along, over half way through my pregnancy. Still no sickness, nausea or other symptoms so I feel very blessed. My mom recently came into town to visit and so we began the process of looking at baby things together. It was such a blast, first time I had started looking at things for our little guy. So much out there to choose from, but trying to be wise in what we need at the same time. Soaking up this fun season I am in :).

And last but not least, here is our little guy himself! Don't know if you can make out the features but we can now distinctly see his nose, mouth, chin, eye (just under the black spot above), left arm/shoulder and hand on the right side. Personally I see more of Glen in him (which of course no complaints here!) but I guess we'll have to wait and see until he's born :). Such an amazing thing, these photo images! We are counting down the days till we meet him, 4 months is going to feel like foreeeeeeever. So long for now!

Baby Brian Michael Sizer

There was a special little boy born into the world this last month: Mr. Brian Sizer Jr. Glen's best friend, Brian Sizer, is currently fighting in Iraq in the Marines and was unable to witness the birth of his newborn son. I, Shilo, had the privilege of visiting Jr. and his mommy, Annette, this last weekend out in Chino Hills (an hour away). He was such a sweet boy and very attached to his mommy already. Being with Annette that short time was a real encouragement, I am amazed at the calm and quiet disposition she displayed through this tough time while her husband is gone. This little one has definitely brought her joy while she waits! Dad is expected to come home late March to early April. Please keep him and his family in your prayers~

Betcha' can't guess what we're having?!

Could we look anymore excited or what? I know I know...we're cornballs :).

What's New...

Hello all! Life is full swing again in January with Glen starting back up at seminary. He's only got 2 classes this semester: Preaching Lab III and New Testament Introduction. And then he'll be finished with his MDiv. by May-woohoo! It's been great catching up with friends this month too, like the Trzeciaks', Grazors', Gravinos' and my (Shilo) old roomies. We also got a chance to see a Phoenix Suns vs. L.A. Lakers game on the 17th. It was of course amazing because the Suns WON!! As far as post- seminary, we've heard from a few more churches over the last month but nothing has proved that "it's a GO" so we are patiently waiting. It's a fun adventure-excited to see where we'll end up next. And as you can see to the right, I am getting bigger! My friend Michelle did this on her blog which I thought was adorable so I'm copying her idea :). We are just past our 15 week mark and in our 2nd trimester. Definitely need to buy some more clothes this week! Then below...well, there is Daisy asleep on Glen again. She always finds interesting resting spots, pretty amusing. We'll keep you posted as always!

Christmas 2007

WOW, a great Christmas back in Zona' (short for Arizona). Enjoy the pics! The Thompson ClanAhhh...Shilo & Dad
Three of Shilo's brothers: Jeremiah (he looks like he is sleeping but he's not-lol), Seth & Ryan With Taylor (nephew)

Ryan & Mariah (niece)

Taylor & Dad

Shilo's brother Jake at a basketball tournament on the 27th (#52!). Can you believe he is 16 years old and already 6'4? Crazy huh...And last but not least...the Daisy girl herself. We found her tucked away in the Christmas blankets the night before we headed back to California. Everyone loved on her of course--she is quite easy to love, naturally :).