reflections.

What a different year this has shaped up to be than what was before. What was before was beautiful, healing, root growing. This year has been about going deeper. I think my roots found some life source that was always there but hadn't been reached, tapped into, or even known. I remember watching Matt come alive his first semester in law school, as if someone had literally lit him up from the inside, because he had found and was immersed in the world that God had made him to be a part of. Here I am, a year later, in love, absolutely in love with art therapy. There is something elemental in the theoretical foundations of it that resonate so true to me. And lord it's hard to put into words. People ask me daily what art therapy is. The simplest way I have found to describe it is to say that as an art therapist I believe that there is something about the creative process of making art that is healing. In those processes are innumerous metaphors for life and the working out of them through art is practice for the grander scheme of life. Challenging yourself, trying new things, facing your fears, bringing out the inner world into the visible one without denial but rather acknowledgement, questioning, and finding answers....And as I'm immersed in this artsy philosophical right brained world, Matt is lost in the letter of the law. Well, rather found. He lives there. Thrives there. What a pair we make. :)

We have been here, in Virginia, for 3 years and 3 months now. Shall I also count the days? Do you ever wake up and think, Holy crap, I'm a grown up?!? Wonder how you got here? Became this person, in this place...? I never ever thought I'd be 26, married, 2 dogs, living on the east coast, one of us in law school the other in grad school, kids not even a consideration for a few more years.... I mean really? I was a granola eating, burkensock wearing, hippy homeschool girl from a little fishing town in the pacific northwest who wanted to travel the world, live on a cot in an orphanage in russia and teach kids. How did I become this person? Not in a negative way but in a questioning-crazy-in-awe-of-life way. Life is not ever what you think it will be. God's plans are not only greater for you than what you dream or imagine, but they also fit and form you in just the right way. His way. ......maybe I'll go do some painting about it. ;)

PS. a few pictures from our travels this summer. :)

well, tis the middle of finals.  

the law kids are so loving life right now.  :)

last night, at midnight, my husbands last words to me were "I've never been more scared in my life...."  to which i simply said "night baby...  love you."  what are you suppose to say to that??  oh well, today's final is over and he's on his way home for a nap.  

in the mean time, i'm waiting for a call from Texas.  one of my dearest friends (and fellow yaya) (and yes, i am a yaya) had a cesarean delivery about an hour ago.   and i am hopelessly trapped here.  can someone please invent a teleporter??   i don't get to see the little guy until he's nearly 3 weeks!  come on yaya husband!!  give us some news here!!  

as soon as finals are over, matty and i are headed to travel the world for the summer!!  literally!

 2 weeks in Texas to see family and friends, 2 weeks in Washington State for more family, 2 weeks back in virginia beach for unpacking and repacking THEN two weeks around europe!!  THEN 5 weeks in france!!!  what more could you ever ask for???  

then it's back to school for the both of us!  matt in his second year and me in my first at EVMS!!  yep, i got in and get to spend the next two years painting, studying other peoples paintings, researching history and painting....  and end up with a masters degree!!  way way cool!!  

March Madness

It's been forever since I've posted so I'll try and make this a good one.   :)

It's the middle of the week, middle of the month, middle of the second

 semester...  and my husband is entrenched in paper work.  Literally.  Poor guy.  He eats, sleeps, breaths paper.  He told me the other day that what he most looks forward to in his days now is just going to bed.  :)  Poor thing.  He is all sighs and stress....  One of our law student friends just had to have surgery because her appendix ruptured.  She got a continuation.  Amidst all of the stress and pressure, though, I have to say that our guys and galls in Law School have handled it all so incredibly well.  There is always laughter, encouragement and fun.  They have purposed to still enjoy life.  Especially my hubby.  And never EVER have I felt left out or put aside.  Even if it means I read a book next to him as he studies...  there are always dates, dinner, and conversation.  I don't know how I ended up with such a man.  Even in the midst of what is said to be the hardest part of law school, he still attends to his wife and home.  Now that's a man.  

Aside from Regent, life is full.  Church, family, friends...  more church.  We just finished up our "Devoted" women's conference which was absolutely incredibly exponentially life changing!!  We had a blast!!  John and Helen Burns, Christine Caine, and of course our very own amazing Sharon Kelly!  It was a party!!  We even had ariel dancers opening night!  Such fun!!

  

We've also been to Texas and back for a little spring breaky.  There's no place on earth like it.  

I've applied to EVMS for the Art Therapy Masters Program and am waiting to hear back...  fingers are crossed and prayers have been prayed on that one!!  Should hear something with in a week or two....  Soul Central Action Day is nearing and that shall be a HUGE thing for us.  We raise money to keep our doors open and in doing so get to serve our community!!  This year we are partnering with Calvary Revival Church to help rebuild one of their ministry buildings that has recently been condemned by the city because of this winters storms.  We will put up drywall, fix plumbing, fix leaky roofing, paint, landscape and just about anything else they ask us to do!!  Our Soul Central cell groups all over Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Norfolk are raising money!!  Our goal is 65,000$$$!!  Last year we raised over $50,000 so 65K is totally attainable!  I can't tell you how amazing it is to be a part of something that is actually changing our city for the better and saving lives!!  I'm personally working on gathering artist together to sell art work for such a good cause!!  Come out on a Wednesday night 8pm 1000 N. Great Neck Road to see what God is doing!!  Our lives have been so blessed by being a part of such a movement!  

Other news....  we have a wedding and a baby shower all in the same day in a couple of weeks.  Matt is the best man at his cousin's wedding in San Antonio and I am one of the hosts for one of my dearest friends 1st baby boy shower that same day in Austin.  So it shall be exiting to work out being in two places at once!!  It is the first baby in our group of friends so nothing is more important!!!  Luckily we have 5 women throwing it together so we've been able to split the cost and do it up right.  :)  The wedding is one of Matt's cousin's and aside from our wedding nearly 2 years ago, it's the first in the family.  So that is also HUGE!  March is definitely eventful for the Davidsons!!  

The 5.

10 years ago:

I was leaving Washington State for the great unknown of Texas

I met my first and only love

I had my sweet sixteen 7 months early

I met the Yayas sands one

I learned to stand on my own two feet with Jesus

5 things on today's to-do list:

Take Bobby to the airport

Study Spanish

Paint an angel and her wings

Do laundry

Attend a law BBQ

Snacks I enjoy:

(currently allowed) 

Myoplex shake

Cottage cheese

Yogurt

(not currently allowed)

Beagle with half the cream cheese tub

Mint chocolate chip ice cream

Things I would do if I were a millionaire:

Fly my brother and his girlfriend here before he leaves for boot camp

Fly my mommy here

Pay off momma's debt

Buy Grandma and Grandpa a home

And of course, buy a whole new winter wardrobe

5 places I've lived:

Gig Harbor, WA

Dripping Springs, TX

Austin, TX

Norfolk, VA

Virginia Beach, VA

5 jobs I've had:

Wife

Barista

Worshiper

Substitute teacher

Daughter, Sister, Friend

in the thick of it...

well, perhaps we are just starting to be but life seems full and crazy...  hectic and stressful for Matty....  and there's me, still trying to learn how to meet his needs and make home fun, full of joy and laughter.  being a grown up is hard.  no one ever said it would be easy but it's still a shocker when you realize, hey, i'm suppose to be doing that!  oh dang!  that's my responsibility!  i'm the adult here....  

and it's all a part of growing, changing, becoming who you were born to be...  not for yourself, but for those around you.  for the people who don't know fullness of Life, Love and Forgiveness.  Carl said something last night at church that was so on point its not even funny.  we don't have time to wait in being who God made us to be.  we don't have time to put off until tomorrow figuring out who we are in Christ and the implications of that.  we NEED to get lost in our new identity (saved, redeemed, SET FREE, happy, joyous, confident, crazily passionate), we need to start being happy with who God made us, and start speaking out who God has made us because peoples lives are hanging in the balance....  people need to hear what God has done in your own life, how he has changed you and set you free so that they can know that he can do that for them!   and it's so true.  i often get lost in my own little world of insecurities and moodiness (which in essence is plane and simple selfishness) that i don't even look up to smile at the person next to me in class.  LET ALONE try to get to know them and make a new friend!  a friend who could possibly need a little joy in their life...  

and you know what else, i am convinced that we are made to be busy-full-of-crazy-life people.  busy making ourselves better through school, work and friendship so that we can be busy sharing life with others, busy building God's house and spreading hope to the world, busy cleaning and keeping the yard nice while making friends with the neighbors...  busy, busy, busy and in the thick of it all, never once forgetting the reason we do these mundane things and these great things:  so that we can give all the honor, all the glory, and all the praise to God because the name of Jesus saves...  

Thursday of the first week:

I haven't seen Matt this focused or purposeful in a long time... and it's adorable!  He leaves for school at 7am every day and study study studies until 9 or 10pm then he is out like a light.  But he shines this sort of pride in his smile when walks through the door at 5:35 in the afternoon.  Like he's saying "I'm proud of myself and I hope you are too!"  I think that's what life is like when you are fulfilling your purpose, doing what God CREATED you to be doing.  And heaven KNOWS, Matt was created to be a lawyer.  :)  

We've met some really great people throughout the orientation process!  It makes me so glad to know that there are like hearted people where he is...

  

I started school again this semester, to finish my bachelor's.  Spanish and watercolor.  I love love love my professors.  It feels absolutely wonderful to be working towards something again...  to be working towards big dreams.   And to be making

ART again!  And in a fresh new medium!  I always forget how art changes me, makes me better... focused and clear.  I can't wait to see what God brings out of this 'finishing time' in my life.  (of course, I can just picture Him chuckling at my saying that.  "Finishing time...haha... Pretty girl, it's only the beginning..."  He's sweet like that.)  

        

           Daumier 

A Man Reading in a Garden.

watercolor.  c. 1966-68

Soul Central was amazing last night!  I don't know what we would do without our church (Wave Church).  Carl is back from his travels and he's raising the bar again.  3 mo

re weeks and we are into our new building...  change and growth are all around us and it's a

mazing to know that you are right where God wants you.  Relationally, academically, spiritually....  and a part of God's church where He is brining His love and His purposes to the world.  

More Preparation More Planning

My husband sits next to me as I sip my coffee and surf the net.  He's playing worship songs on his guitar... practicing for church tonight.  I wonder what the next year will look like as far as church involvement goes.  He is currently on the worship team, playing most Sundays, many Saturday and Wednesday nights too.  He's the new band members go-to-guy, as well as being on the Christians team.  We are hoping that he will just have to scale down how often he plays and how many calls he has to make and not have to pull back completely.  

The whole family is here now.  John, James, Nora and Michael.  We are on a mission to find a house for James that can serve as a sort of second house for John and Nora when they are here.  There have been wonderful houses that made me want to move in myself and others that we walked in and out and said "welp..."   We've been looking for a week now but James just got here last night so we'll show him our top picks today.  Of course everyone has an opinion but Dad's is the only one that matters in the end...  and he's reluctant to settle on anything too quickly.  So we shall see how the day goes.  :)  

Matt and James got their schedules for the fall.  They are highly disappointed that it doesn't match up.  They have one class together.  And of course, Matt starts his days about 2 hours earlier than James has to.   :)  The brother that loves to sleep in can't and the one who would rather be up earlier doesn't have to be.  It will be good for Matt.   

And then there is me.  This fall I will take Spanish 1...  again....  to finish my bachelor's degree.  Spanish has been my Moby Dick and I can't let it be any longer.   John has been encouraging me to take an art class along with it so that I have a class that I look forward to going to.  I think I'll look for a sculpture class...  

Well...  were off for more house hunting.