N & J Patey

Being a mom!

2011-09-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have been blessed with the role of being mommy to Noah. I absolutely love being a mommy. I didn't know how I would feel, or act or if it would come naturally. For the longest time I didn't feel ready to have kids.
When Noah came into the world I was in love with him, but it was not the kind of heart melting love I feel for him today, that grows as each day passes. I remember the first month was tough at times because he didn't really recognize us and there was a lot going on!
It was somewhere around 5 weeks though that he first began to smile, and that was the end of it for Nick and I! Our hearts melted for this little boy and they continue to melt with each day that passes. I really feel now that my heart and love just keep growing, it's crazy! Raising kids is such a joy and each part of it is such a treasured moment.
Lately I find myself trying to soak up each moment that I rock him to sleep, each moment of nursing, each moment of waking up once in the middle of the night. These moments are fleeting and will soon be gone. And there will be new things to look forward to. But oh how I am treasuring these times! His coos and laughs are some of my favorite sounds in the world! Sometimes I find myself anxiously waiting for him to wake up so I can spend more time with him!

It has been hard to go back to work even though it is part time. I find it so difficult to leave that sweet smile and laugh in the morning!
Each moment is a blessing, and as time is passing quickly I am trying to treasure each moment I have with our little man:)

Doesn't that smile just melt your heart!??! He is such a special little man:)

Noah David Patey

2011-09-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

So Noah is almost 3 1/2 months old, and he definitely keeps life busy!!
Let's back up to that day when Noah entered the world!

Between 38-40 weeks pregnant I was 2 cm dilated and 90% effaced, I was sure Noah was going to arrive early! However, he was way too comfortable in my tummy and his due date of May 27 came and went! The weekend that he was due my contractions started coming on stronger and stronger, but they would never get closer to 8 minutes apart. Tuesday May 31 rolled around and I went in to see the Dr. By this point I am not feeling my best and am really hoping Noah will decide to come soon. Thankfully when the Dr. checked I was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. My blood pressure was going up and they decided it was time to get this boy out!!

We were sent to Labor and Delivery and arrived around 3:30 pm. We got checked in, and the midwife broke my water around 5 pm. Well after that the contractions really started coming. We were really trying for a natural labor so I was so thankful to be working with a nurse and midwife who supported that! The contractions came on stronger and stronger, and by 7-8 pm I was working my way into transitional labor which really started to hurt! There were definitely some points where I was begging for drugs, but those surrounding kept encouraging me that I could do it, and that it was almost time to get him out! Right before it came time to push was the worst pain I had experienced. I think it was during this time that I mentally checked out from this experience! What I remember most is the intense amount of pressure I felt inside of me, and how there was nothing I could do to make the pressure go away.

It was around 930-1000 that the midwife first started having me push. I remember telling her I didn't want to! Ha. Let me tell you though, everyone is right when it comes time to push you dig deep and you get that baby out! Nick remembers seeing Noah's head first around 10:30 and the little guy was a somewhat turned so he had to SLOWLY work his way out! Oh my word was it slow (almost 2 hours of pushing)! I was so thankful for Nick who did not leave my side for one moment! He was my rock and got me through this! I also loved having my mom in the room with us, she really helped me get through the contractions, and kept family up to date in the waiting room! Nick's mom Kelly was outside the whole time, and also my dad, sister and nick's brother chris and fiance amanda all came down to wait for the arrival of Noah!

Finally the little guy decided once the month of May was over that he would come on out into the world, and he arrived at 12:06 a.m. on June 1st! He was 8 pounds 12 ounces, and 21.5 inches long!

Noah David Patey arrived into the world!
We were in love instantly!

Noah David

2011-02-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

I realized last night that I have not updated this in a while, and there is some big news to update with! We are having a boy! Noah David Patey is due May 27, 2011! Nick and I are getting so excited to meet our newest little man!! He is kicking alot lately, and it is enough that you can see my stomach flicker from the movement! Can't wait until he is rolling across my whole belly!! We only have about 16 more weeks to go before we get to meet our little guy! I can't believe how fast time is flying by! My girlfriend Katrina had her little boy Klaas Gerrit a few weeks ago and it is crazy to see him out of her belly now! God is amazing, and the creation of a little boy or girl is such a beautiful thing! Here is a picture that can let you know that Noah was definitely a boy!

Baby Patey!

2010-12-04T16:07:00.000-08:00

Hearing the heartbeat, seeing it suck its thumb, seeing baby's mouth moving to drink amniotic fluid. These are some of the amazing moments of seeing our baby thus far! Here are a few pictures!

Preggo!

2010-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have needed to post about this for some time now! Nick and I are expecting our first baby! Baby Patey is due May 27, 2011!! We are so excited for this blessing God has given us! Here are a few pictures of my first 3 pictures so far! One month, two months, and three months. At this point I am 15 weeks along! That means baby Patey is the size of a large orange! So cute and sweet:) We find out the gender in a few short weeks, and can't wait to see whether baby is a boy or girl!

This last picture is how I look today at 15 weeks! Crazy how time is flying!

APU alumni game

2010-09-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, APU had its first alumni volleyball game! I am going on close to 5 years of being out of college volleyball! I cant believe how time has flown! It was a great opportunity to see old friends and get together and play once again. It felt like we had never left each other! It brought back so many memories of daily practices and games, and the team unity that was such a great part of college volleyball. It made me really miss the days I spent playing college volleyball at APU. After our alumni game we watch APU play and beat Westmont and then had an alumni dinner with past and present players. I loved listening to the coach of the 1980 team that won the national championship. She had such a heart for athletics, but also for God first in everything the ladies stood for as athletes. It inspired me, and made me want to play college volleyball again! Overall it was a great experience, and I hope that we don't wait 5 more years before our next alumni game!

School has officially started!

2010-09-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

So as of yesterday I am back to school. Nick has been back for 3 weeks now! It does feel good to get back into the swing of things, even though I am sad to see summer go. It was so nice to spend time in our home taking care of it, and working on projects that we are too busy for during the school year. Both of our years have started off well, and we are enjoying our students. It is so wonderful that both of us are done with BTSA and our Masters degree! We will have more time on our hands, which will hopefully allow us to get back into the world of club coaching! We are also excited to get to serve at Grace Baptist with the High school ministry! We have our first meeting coming up and we are looking forward to investing in the next generation!

We have been able to get involved alot with our BLISS sunday school class at church, and really love being a part of Grace Baptist Church. God is good, and we are blessed to be surrounded by a wonderful church family.

I am trying to stretch myself in my reading by taking on Mere Christianity. It is a book that I have always wanted to read but I have to think through it as I read it, which can be difficult at times. I will have to post about the thoughts it gives me as I work my way through it.

End of summer...

2010-08-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

So summer is officially coming to an end. Nick has already started back at Golden Valley teaching Algebra and CASHEE math. I can't believe he is beginning his 5th year teaching! Wow, time sure seems to fly by! I am getting ready to start my 3rd year at Magnolia Science Academy on Sep. 1st. I get to change some of my focus this year to leadership within my department which is exciting, especially because I have more time to do it now that I am done with BTSA and my masters!!

This summer was wonderful being in our home, traveling with family and friends and working on house projects. Nick was a busy guys painting the fence, painting the kitchen cabinets, working on the landscaping! We got to stay involved with our BLISS class at church and had a fun progressive dinner to end the summer, as well as a family picnic next week!

Things to look forward to is my (Brickner) family reunion this weekend! There are so many people in my family I have not see in months! I look forward to sitting down and hanging out with individuals and catching up on their lives!!

Other than that I am trying to enjoy my last days before school starts again. The year will soon be busy with grading and lesson planning, so until then I am soaking up my relaxation time:)

Trips!

2010-07-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we leave for Santa Cruz to celebrate our 3 year anniversary! I can't believe it has been 3 years since I married the love of my life! Nick is the most amazing man I know, and God blessed me big time when he brought Nick into my life! We have never been to Santa Cruz so it will be fun to travel around and check out the city!! On Friday there is lots going on in preparation for the wedding of Lindsay and Randy! Woo hoo that it has finally arrived!! I am so excited for my friend to take this next step in her life! After the wedding on Saturday Nick and I had to Bass Lake for the annual family vacation! I am ready for a week of lounging around a dock on a raft with a book in my hand! It is a great time of relaxation and fellowship, and we are looking forward to going after we missed it last year when we were in India! As for the house update.....we have been BUSY!! Right now our kitchen is ground zero, but all the tile backsplash has been taken off and dry walled over, and the cabinets have been primed! When we get home from Bass Lake it will be time to paint! I will post pictures of the finished product on the blog! For now I will leave you with a few pictures of previous Bass Lake trips to get in the mood for the next week of awesomeness!

Summer!

2010-07-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

So thankful that summer has now officially begun!! A camping trip to June Lake/Mammoth with the family was the perfect way to kick off summer break! Nick got to fish with the boys, we had great fellowship, and Kookka got to be wilderness dog for a day! It is so nice to have a break from the busyness that comes throughout the school year!
Our summer to do list includes:
1. Office project, building a storage closet, cleaning up the office and decorating it some!
2. landscaping the backyard and part of the side yard!
3. painting kitchen cabinets, scraping teapot wall paper!
4. Nick building a front gate from scratch!
5. Lindsay and Randy's wedding and our 3 year wedding anniversary in Santa Cruz!
6. Annual Bass Lake family vacation!
7. Camping with Andrea and Brian Underwood our new friends and neighbors!
It is going to be one busy summer vacation, but let me just tell you about the blog I stumbled upon, thanks to my good friend Colleen!! http://www.younghouselove.com/ Is amazing!! This young couple gives you tips about how to completely DIY to your house at an amazing low cost, and with the latest fashions! I am in love, and so excited to take some of their ideas and apply them to my own home this summer!

My class

2010-05-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

So proud of my kids at school. We began raising money for an organization called Smile Train, which does celft surgeries for children all around the world. Each surgery cost $250. The goal was for my class to raise $25 to help go for the surgery. Well after discussing and encouraging my students they showed up the next day with $50!! They wanted to continue raising the bar on themselves and by the end as a class we had raised $250, which was enough for one whole surgery!!! Wow!! I was so inspired and amazed at my kids!! When I told my mom, she and my dad were so impressed they wanted to help sponsor a party for my students. We celebrated at school today with In N Out burgers, fries and cake that one of the students' brought in!
How awesome it was to see 12 year olds excited to raise money to give back to others. What a great example of giving everything you have to help someone else.

back to the blogging world!

2010-05-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time! I am missing blogging, although I didn't blog very often. I think I would like to try again! I spent some time customizing our page and changing pictures and settings around. The picture I chose for our main picture is of us in India. My heart misses India and the people we met there. God is doing such an amazing work there, it was so awesome to see His kingdom being built!

On a side note, I am incredibly thankful this school year is coming to an end. Ever since India Nick and I have not had a moments rest! We have been so busy with family stuff, our masters, teaching, buying a house, adjusting to a new city to live in, finding a home church. It feels like the list goes on and on! Needless to say we are very excited that summer break is just around the corner, only 2 weeks for nick, and about 5 for me. We have family camping trips, friend camping trips and a wedding (yea lindsay and randy) this summer, not to mention catching up on some much needed rest!

I am going to throw in a picture of Nick and I from our recent masters graduation! Praise the Lord we are finished (well almost, nick will be done in a few weeks). We are so thankful to have that extra schooling, and so ready to be done with it!

Lastly, I changed the description of our blog to simply Love. When I think about who God is and what he asks of His people, love comes to mind. "

The greatest commandment is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is to love your brother." Mark 22:37-40

When I think about that word, and the struggles and circumstances I go through on a daily basis, I can often times narrow it down to how am I doing at loving God and loving those around me? Am I love my husband by the way I treat him, and support him? Am I loving my students by being patient and caring? Am I loving my God and Savior and starting my day with Him, my Beloved?

HOMEOWNERS!!

2009-11-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

That's right! Nick and I are officially homeowners! We bought a 3 bedroom 2 bath house in Valencia behind Granery Square! We are super excited, and only one street away from our cousins and great friends, Kurt, Kellie and baby weston!! We can't believe how blessed we are, and how much God has provided with giving us this house. We are in awe of his goodness!!! We painted this weekend, and moved everything in thanks to the help of our wonderful family on Nicks and my side! They are all so wonderful, and we are so thankful for them!! Our home is beautiful, and I will try to put some pictures up when it is all finished. Looking forward to settling in, and hopefully getting a dog soon!!!!!

India

2009-08-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Nick and I felt like as soon as we landed in California on August 3rd, that we hit the ground running. I can't believe how crazy life has been for this past month. There is so much going on, that requires alot of processing and adjusting that it has been so tough to process through India and all of our experiences over there and what God has and is teaching us from that.

WOW, I can't believe we spent 6 weeks in India this summer! Time came and went, and here we are back in America in a somewhat normal routine.

What an experience India was. It was beautiful, difficult challenging and fun all at the same time. I feel like there are so many stories and experiences that I can't even begin to put them into words. So many people left an imprint on my heart and now I feel like I am worlds away from them because I don't see them everyday, and I really am on the other side of the world.

So many faces are a blur across my mind as I think of them and wonder how they are doing; praying for them and thinking about their lives. So many beautiful faces, some that truly know and love the Lord and some that are lost in the darkness of a polytheistic religion.

The Lord is doing an amazing work in India and Nick and I were blessed to witness all that He is doing over there. There are so many different hands and feet that are working as part of the body to reach those who are have not seen the Light.

I try to ponder and process what exactly did God teach me over there. So often John 15: 8-13 was on my heart about what it means to Love one Another. How do we do that on a daily basis? How do we put others needs above ourselves?

God showed Nick and I how much of a practical dependence our Indian friends had on the Lord. THe joy of the Lord flowed out of them and was written all over their faces, because they were always dependent on Him. Wow, do I have the same dependence on the Lord. Is the joy of the Lord written all over my face? What do people see when they see me? What am I a reflection of?

We went to a land filled with people who did not have very much, and yet they did not live in need. They used what they were given, and got by just fine. Now we have returned to a culture that is me focused and material centered. How do we take what we have seen in India and what we see here in America and figure out how to live? It is difficult. I find that it is incredibly easy to fall into the lifestyle of focusing on things, because we are constantly surrounded and bombarded by it...everywhere we look. I don't want to live in such a way that I am so similar to the world and the culture that I live in. Can someone look at me and see that something is different? Do I reflect something different, or do I reflect myself...a focus on this life, on myself and on the things I can have in this life.

One of my biggest prayers and thoughts while being in India was that I did not want to come back and be complacent in my faith. I want God to be involved so directly and intimately in my life that talking about Him flows easily from my lips. That He is truly my primary focus, not just because I say it is so, but because it is how I live my life, to serve and glorify His name above all else.

Wow....looks like I have much to process through still!

We're back!

2009-08-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! It's been a loong while since I have updated our blog. We have been in India the past six weeks, and it was difficult to get time to sit down and think about what I would want to blog about our experience. Let me tell you that it was a challenging, amazing, and blessing of an experience. God stretched us and challenged us. The schools are amazing, the children are amazing, and the people are amazing! The food, and the climate...not so much. The joy of the Lord is shown all over the faces of the people you meet there. It makes me wonder what people see when they see me. Do they see a reflection of Christ? It makes me think about what I am living for. Coming back has been wonderful to see our family and friends whom we missed so very much while gone. The transition back to our culture will be somewhat difficult. America tends to be such a materialistic culture, and now that we have been somewhere else in the world that just does not focus so much on possessions, it is difficult to come back and figure out how we want to live in our culture. There is so much to process through right now, in the midst of going through jet lag.

In the midst of coming home, there is a lot going on. We are living with Nick's family right now as we begin the process of looking for a house! Very exciting, and already feeling a little stressful at times. Nick is starting a new job at Golden Valley High School. It is strange to be home, but not really home anymore. Our apartment in Pasadena is gone, and all of our things are in storage. It is strange to have picked up and now live in a completely different city. Most of Nick's family lives here which is awesome, and it will be good to spend some more time with many of them.

I will try to keep our blog updated more with all the things going on in life right now. Hope everyone is well!

Today's the day!!!

2009-06-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

Today's the big day!! We are officially moving out of our apartment this morning, and this afternoon we fly to India for the next six weeks!! God is doing some big things in our lives right now, and we are so excited!!! Please pray for us with all that is going on! Pray for us physically, mentally and spiritually!! Pray that we would be culturally sensitive and servant hearted. We love you all very much, and we look forward to sharing stories with you when we come home!

Until then,

Nick and Jenny

Sweet Scripture

2009-06-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen"

Ephesians 3:16-21

Our first apartment

2009-06-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

As I look around our packed up apartment, so many thoughts run through my head. This place holds a special spot in our hearts. This was mine and Nicks first home together. We came back here on our wedding night to an apartment filled with candles and roses. We bought our first furniture and got to decorate exactly as I wanted it! We had our parents, grandparents and friends over for dinner to see our "home". We celebrated birthdays here! We had people over and packed out our apartment, and walked to watch the Rose Parade. This place holds a ton of memories of our first 2 years of marriage! I can't believe how fast time flies! God is soo good, and we are blessed to have had such a wonderful place to call home for our first two years as man and wife. It is sad to leave, but there are exciting things ahead to look forward to! Nick's job out in Santa Clarita means that when we get home from India we will begin to house hunt in finding a new place to settle down some roots in! It is an exciting adventure to partake on, and we look forward to establishing a new home and making new memories that we will store in our hearts as well.

I know this is kind of sappy but we will always hold a special place for Pasadena in our hearts:)

Packing!

2009-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Keep us in your prayers this week and next! We are just a tad bit overwhelmed with all that we have going on. Trying to finish up the school year, move out of our apartment and pack for India is keeping us crazy busy!! But at least we are still smiling!! We leave for India in 9 days! WOW! Not much else to say...better get back to packing!

Napa!!!

2009-06-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

So I have been told by my cousin that our blog is too boring, and I need to do some more updating, so here goes!!

Nick and I went to Napa a few weeks ago, and had a great time! Before Napa we made a stop off in Visalia with our friend Colleen to visit and celebrate Katrina's 25th Bday!! We hiked a huge

hill, played some grass vball, and went to a great dinner! Best of all we got to see Kat's new house and have some much needed friend time:)

After V-town, we drove up to Napa and had the best 2 days of relaxation! We found that upon arrival our hotel was overbooked and had to send us to Holiday Inn for a night. With all the free stuff and upgrades they gave us I think we got the good end of the deal! They paid for our breakfasts both mornings we were there (amazing food by the way). I got a massage at their spa which is literally in a cave underneath a vineyard. They allowed Nick to use the mens side of the spa with jacuzzi and steam room, and amazing showers. Nick said and I quote "I took the best shower of my life"!! The showers had the nozzles on every side so you didn't even have to move and water would hit you from every direction! A little piece of paradise!!:)

That afternoon we drove up the highway and went to two vineyards and went wine tasting. Definitely liked Sutter Home the best! We came back to our upgraded room with a balcony overlooking the pool and the vineyard and relaxed before dinner out on the town.

All in all a great trip, and very much needed before the crazyness!

BIG Life changes!!

2009-06-03T21:39:00.000-07:00

WOW!! Where do I begin with all that is going on!!??? Nick and I found out that he got hired to teach math at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita next year! Praise the Lord!!! Nick and I are very excited, but are incredibly overwhelmed, because we have sooooo much to do!! We are going to pack everything up and move everything out of our apartment into storage while we are gone in India. That will save us a lot of money, and allow us to prepare to hopefully buy a house once we return from India!!

I just started packing up like 8 boxes tonight, and I feel like I barely made a dent!!! Needless to say we have 2 1/2 weeks to get all that done, while at the same time Nick is transitioning to a new job, finishing up school with Azusa, me finishing up with MSA, and all the while getting ready to spend 6 weeks in India!! Crazy, but also very very exciting. Please keep us in your prayers over these next few weeks.

I can't believe summer is almost here, I am just about done with my first year teaching! Wow, it has flown by!! and best of all...I survived it!!! I am excited to get year 2 under my belt now:) Officially today I completed year 1 of my BTSA program and had everything signed off by the head guy at the district office! That was very exciting!!

Nick and I had so much good news this week we decided to hit up the melting pot tonight for a splurge on some great food! We had a wonderful time! I am trying to enjoy my last few weeks of living in Pasadena, although I am incredibly excited to move to Santa Clarita, this was mine and Nicks first apartment together, and it holds so many special memories:)...it will be hard to say good-bye.

PS If I didn't make it sound as though we are busy or anything, our good friend Tim is getting married to Nena this weekend, and Nick is in the weddding!! We are so happy for them to begin their lives as a married couple. Good times!

I will try to blog once more before we leave for India, hopefully by that time our apartment will be completely packed up!

Spring Break!

2009-04-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

So sad that we don't have the same Spring break:( Mine is this week, and Nicks is next week. However, since my 25th falls at the end of the week, my wonderful husband is taking Thursday and Friday off of school and we are going to Las Vegas to celebrate!! It will be a fun birthday to remember, especially because we are going to see The Blue Man group! I can't wait!!! I will definitely post pictures of our fun trip in my next blog.

Other new news...not much else going on actually. We are continuing to prepare for India, and have a long book list to be reading as we prepare!!

Good news about Nicks Job. The Azusa district took back all the pink slips given out about a month ago, so it looks like Nick has a secure job with Azusa next year.

That is about it for an update with us, more to come soon!

Mammoth and 3 years!

2008-12-29T21:03:00.000-08:00

Nick and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Mammoth for the past few days with our friends the Hoovers and the Weavers. We stayed in an amazing condo, and had a great time sledding, watching movies, snowboarding

and hanging out! It was such a relaxing time to get away from the busyness of life, and spend some quality time with good friends! Snowboarding in Mammoth kills snowboarding at both Mountain High and Big Bear! We had such a great time, and I got to use my new snowboarding jacket Nick got me for Christmas!!

Today 12/29 is our 3 year mark of being together (dating), and we of course have to celebrate by going back to where it all started...good ole' BR: Baskin Robbins that is. Nick asked me to be his girlfriend there, took me there for our one year, and asked me to marry him there so it of course holds a special place in our hearts! After that is off to pick up some friends from the airport!

Tomorrow is an exciting day since Nick and I get to go to mini high school reunion for me. My old group of friends is getting together and it will be fun to see them, meet significant others and see where everyone is in life!!! Time flies quickly, I can't believe 2008 is coming to an end!

Christmas time is here!

2008-12-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yea, for Christmas time!! Nick and I are finally on break from school and loving our time off!!! We have a jam packed Christmas break! This past weekend we went to the annual Christmas party at Kurt and Kellie's house. We posted some of the pictures from that fun night! This past Sunday the 21st we went to a hockey game with the Sowas and then to Christmas lights lane in Rancho Cucamonga for our annual tradition of looking at Christmas lights! We of course had our favorite holiday starbucks drink with us: chai eggnog latte, quite amazing! For Christmas Eve we will be with Nicks family, and then onto my side for Christmas day! On the 26th we will head up to Mammoth to snowboard for a few days with some friends!! We will bring in the New Year with our annual trip to the Rose Parade! Nick celebrates #25 on January 4th, and then it is back to work for him!! I will have one more week off before going back to school!

God is so good and merciful to us and what a wonderful reminder we have this season of celebrating the birth of His son into our world to save and redeem us. Jesus truly is the reason for this season! Nick and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season as we begin a new year!

Getting the dress wet!

2008-11-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

So I need to mention the new picture we have for our blog page. After one year of marriage Nick and I decided to get dressed up again, me literally in my wedding dress and go to Castaic lake and get my dress WET! Nick's brother Chris (who is an amazing professional photographer) graciously took our pictures for us. We had a fun time, and ended up with some really sweet shots. I am going to post our favorites, not including the big one that you see as soon as you click on our page! It was a fun memory and the dress is fine, don't worry ladies I did not ruin it:)

***comment and tell us

which picture you like best for us to blow up to put in our bedroom!!

November!:)

2008-11-23T18:59:00.000-08:00

Time for an update from the Patey's...

Recently the big news going on with us is the real possibility of going to India this coming summer for 5 weeks.

I chopped my hair recently which is pretty exciting, and it is so short. I am uploading a picture of Nick and I along with Kurt and Kellie who we hung out with this weekend. Kellie, is almost 7 months pregnant, we can't believe how time flys! We are so excited for their baby boy to enter the world!

Besides that we are ready for a break with the coming holidays, and are excited to spend some time with family coming up. We are not coaching volleyball this year and are glad for the extra time to hang out with friends and family. We have been able to hang out a lot with good friends lately. Some of our good couple friends that we have hung out with lately are the Andy and Katie Sowa, and we have had a blast hanging, going to hockey games, and having dinner with them. God is so good to provide great friends.

We are blessed by our church, cornerstone in Glendora and we love being a part of it. We are walking through the book of Exodus right now and we love calling that place home:)

That is about it for now. Nick has the whole week off for Thanksgiving so he is going with me to work tomorrow! What a fun day that will be:) He is going to get to see me in action with the 7th graders and see how crazy it is! JK We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, there is so much to be thankful for this season!

Marilyn Ryan Sunset Point Park

2008-11-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

Grandma would have been so blessed to see the park that was dedicated to her last weekend October 25. Because she was the first mayor of Ranchos Palos Verdes the city dedicated the most beautiful park to her and named it after her. It is literally on a cliff overlooking the ocean and is at the entrance to the Donald Trump golf course. It was a tented occasion with the mayor and other city council members there, amazing food, and an open bar. The only thing that would have made it perfect was for Grandma to see the park. She was a strong determined woman and I miss her. I am glad for the times I spent with her specifically in 2004 when I traveled with her to Boston and Maine. Those are the times I will look back on and remember fondly. Many people showed up to pay tribute to her and to honor her and we were glad to be a part of it, and proud of her. I am attaching some pictures of the event and the view so you can all see what exactly I am talking about!

Back to School!

2008-09-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the last time I wrote on this I talked about how excited we were for summer to happen. Since summer feels like it is long gone about now, I thought I should update our blog!

Summer was wonderful. Nick and I traveled a ton! We went to Reno for club volleyball. We traveled up to Big Bear and stayed at an amazing Bed and Breakfast called Gold Mountain Manor for our one year anniversary. We traveled to Colorado for Katie and Andy's beautiful wedding and then motorhomed it with my (Jenny's Parents) for almost two weeks!! We traveled to Bass Lake with Nick's family for a week and had a great time lounging on rafts by the dock and hanging out with family. We also were down in Valley Center for one weekend in August for Brooke and Charlie's wedding, which was absolutely beautiful! All in all it was a great summer!!!

The exciting news of the fall is that I (Jenny) got a teaching job!! I am teaching 7th grade World History at Magnolia Science Academy in Reseda. It is about 30 miles from us, and the commute is probably the biggest bummer. Morning traffic is fine, in the afternoon it takes somewhere between 45 min. to an hour to get home. The kids are great, I love my classroom, and the program is really impressive. Many of the students come from lower income families, and by the time they graduate (it is 6th-12th grade) they are UC ready!!

Nick started his third year teaching at Azusa high school and is still teaching Algebra 1 and Algebra intervention along with AVID this year. He is enjoying his students and his new class where he gets to help middle of the road students to excel in high school.

We started going to Cornerstone church in Glendora and are really loving it. We started attending the newly married sunday school class there, and feel very welcomed and connected there as well.

Big news for us right now, is we are trying to save, save, save to buy a house eventually! As to where we are not completely sure yet, possibly Santa Clarita, but we are waiting to see where the Lord leads us.

Nick and I are doing great and we can't believe we have been married over one year now. We are doing great and excited for this time in our lives where we are both teaching and enjoying living life together.

Summer time!

2008-06-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

IT'S SUMMER TIME!!! We are so excited that summer has officially arrived! We kicked it off by going to a sushi lunchdate today:) This weekend we have volleyball, and my cousins high school graduation party to attend along with Father's day. Nick is going riding with his dad on Sunday and that evening we are going to a bbq with my parents:) Good times!

2008-05-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Almost done with grad school, and teaching! We are sooo very excited!:) I can't believe summer is almost here. I have 3 night classes left and then she will have her credential! I am almost done with my student teaching. Nick is just about done with his second year teaching math at Azusa high school. We have been married almost 11 months now! wow how time flies.

This summer will prove busy! Lots of weddings: Jon and Victorya, Katie and Andy, Matt and Elaine, and Brooke and Charlie! So excited for all of them! We are traveling to Reno at the end of June for vball, we come back celebrate our one year and then off to Colorado for Katie and Andy's wedding. We are motorhoming it with the Bricks (Jenny's parents) and will be gone for about 10 days! We come back from that and are off the next weekend to Bass Lake with Nicks family for the annual vacation.

It will be busy busy busy, but we cannot wait! We are so excited to relax!:) Hope everyone had a nice memorial day weekend. We were housesitting, and coaching my 12s two day tournament.

Birthday week along with Spring Break!!

2008-04-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had the chance to celebrate my birthday with some friends at the Cheesecake factory!! What a fun way to start off our spring break! It was a great time of hanging out and eating some good food! I miss not seeing friends on a more regular basis! It is such a blessing that Nick and I both have the same spring break, and that it is during the week of my birthday! I can't wait! We are going to go shopping all day at the outlets in Carlsbad, San Diego and then have dinner with the family to celebrate mine and Caitlins (my niece) birthdays!! On Thursday I have the opportunity to go to Burke Williams, an amazing spa with my mom and sister. I get to get a massage and amazing pedicure there! Can't wait!! Nick and I hit the 9 month mark of being married tomorrow! We can't believe it! WOW, God is good:) He has answered our prayers by bringing married friends (and engaged friends) into our life along with a married group through the church we have been attending called LA church of Christ. He is so good. We just started a new series called "Did Jesus really say that?" We are so excited to be a part of a church we can get plugged in to!

As for other news, I (Jenny) am hoping and praying for job opportunities to arise, and one possibility is at Maranatha in Pasadena, a private high school. I have an interview there next month, and the vball coach (who used to be my old vball coach in college) has asked me to coach the freshman vball team there. It is an exciting possibility, especially because it is only 15 minutes from our apartment! We will see what doors the Lord opens!

New!

2008-02-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

So the new stuff in life lately...I started student teaching this week, and my master teacher is awesome!! I am very excited to be working with her!:) The idea of being in a class all day every day for the next 4 months with no paycheck is not that appealing, but I am excited about how much knowledge I will gain from this experience! The other new thing is the hair! Short, and much darker! Nick loves it and I do to so that is kind of fun! We went snowboarding last friday! It was so much fun to have some us time, we went with Kurt and Kellie and had a great time (minus all the times I fell:)) We checked out a church with our neighbors last Sunday and were so welcomed there, it was great! It is called L.A. church of Christ, and it seemed very right on about so many things. The only thing we had questions about was the view of the church on baptism.

Other than all this, we are busy busy! Last night we went to Tony Romas and has some HUGE ribs! wow they were so good! We also did something called dream dinners, and if there are any girls out there, check this out, it is amazing and you will love it!! It is called dream dinners they have amazing meals that are all portioned out and you go put it together and freeze it. You then have dinners already prepped that only need to be cooked to have an amazing meal!! I definitely recommend it! That is it for the Patey update!

A prayer

2008-01-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

I just started reading "Hard to Believe" by John MacArthur, and while reading came across a prayer written by a saint from many centuries ago:

"Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess everything, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive. Let me find thy light in my darkness, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley, thy life in my death."

This spoke to me this morning when I read it, especially when we live in a day and age that encourages to do what makes us happy, do what makes me feel good, what a reminder that this life is not about me, and how everything above that seems difficult leads to Christ.

God's Amazing Beauty!

2008-01-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

The mountains are AMAZING!!! I see them covered with snow, and they are magnificent. It shows the splendor and beauty of our Lord! What a beautiful sight He has set before us!!! I see the beauty and am reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis

"If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is I was made for another world."

Sometimes I find myself looking at Nature, and its incredible beauty and I am still left with an ache inside of me, a longing for something more. God in His unique moments gives us such a picture of beauty, it makes me wonder what Heaven will be like!!

3 day weekend!

2008-01-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

Nick and I are thrilled that we are on a 3 day weekend! Nick has Monday off, so we are looking forward to some relaxing time! We are house sitting for my parents in Orange County, and watching their new chocolate labrador puppy Dakota! She is so much fun!!! This weekend has been relaxing so far, since we have been watching season 6 of 24! We had not heard good reviews about it, but so far we are loving it!

We saw a great movie tonight on television called Runaway Jury. It is an old movie, but we both thought it was a good one, definitely worth renting!

Volleyball has been keeping us so busy that we have been spending a lot of time in Orange County on the weekends, but we are having so much fun coaching!!

Nick has not yet gotten his Xbox 360, Best Buy seems to be on back order! But soon he will have the beloved Xbox so he can play Halo whenever he wants!

Nick and I have recently decided we very much want to travel to visit Israel! We think it would be amazing to walk and see the place where our Lord Jesus was! So....that won't be any time soon, but we hope to be able to go with in the next few years.

Recent activity of the Patey's

2008-01-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be a good time to post a new blog since I finally have a working computer again. We love Mac but our computers have pooped out on us recently. I had to actually send my in for repairs, Nick's needs repairs and we both needed new battery chargers. Thank the Lord my parents gave Nick an external hard drive for his birthday. We listened to Apple's warning and backed up almost everything on my computer. When I got my computer back, nothing was on it! They had replaced everything I had with a new operating system.

Nick and I are hanging out in Orange County for the weekend, because my 12 year old team plays in Oceanside tomorrow! That will be quite a drive to be there by 7 am. We are enjoying coaching for Impact though! Today we watched Pursuit of Happyness. I thought it was a beautiful movie, and I was touched by the story of what one man would do for himself and his family. If you have not seen it, you should! We both highly recommend it.

I am officially registered to begin classes again at APU on February 4th, and at the moment I am not looking forward to starting classes again. It must be done though, so I will put in my time so that I can finally get my credential!

Nick and I enjoyed going to Santa Monica with some friends last night and had some great Italian food and watched some street performances. There were 2 new things I had not experienced. I had not watched a street performance before, nor had I been in one before. Yes, I got pulled in to play the white girl, and our friend elaine got pulled in to play the mexican girl. It was a one man show with a funny yet at times abrasive black man. Part of his street performance was showing how white people, black people, asian people and mexican dance. When it was my turn to dance with him we did high fives back and forth and basically skipped in place and pretty much looked like a dork, but yes I did dance in front of 50 or more people...and I don't dance!

There are a few new things that happened in the lives of the Patey's this past week, I am sure there will be many more to come!

Our First Blog!

2008-01-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Nick and I decided it was finally time for us to join the world of blogging! We have friends and family who we don't get to see or talk to every day, and we thought this would be a great way to update the people we love about our lives!

We celebrated our very first Christmas as husband and wife, and I must say it was my favorite Christmas yet! It was so much fun to celebrate with both of our families and to also have our own Christmas morning just Nick and I. It was truly special, and one I will never forget!

We also had some family and a few friends over for New Years Eve and New Years Day! We live so close to the Rose Parade it was literally walking distance from our apartment! We had so much fun with everyone that we are already talking about ideas for camping out for the Rose Parade next year!

Nick celebrated his 24th birthday a few days ago! We had a fun time celebrating. On his birthday he got breakfast in bed! That afternoon we went with our cousins Kurt and Kellie to the amazing hut on Azusa Avenue/Sierra Madre called Best Teriyaki. Check it out if you are ever in Azusa...amazing and cheap! We then went to see "I am Legend"

The boys loved it...and the girls...well we didn't:) That night I cooked Nick a special dinner and we had ice cream sundaes for dessert!

The whole family came out the next evening and met us at Acapulco's!! After dinner we fit 21 people into our tiny apartment for cake and ice cream! Nick rec

eived many best buy gift cards for his birthday since he is trying to save for an Xbox 360!

We are trying to get ready to transition into Nick going back to work, but we are loving this vacation mode that we are one!! Club has been keeping us busy as well, and my team has their first tournament this next weekend! Yikes! Other than that we are really wanting to get plugged into our church. The pastor today asked for help with the technology during the services and after church Nick put our names on a sign up list. Getting plugged into a new church and calling it home has been one of the hardest things for both of us. We strongly desire it, but it has been tough.

Last but not least we celebrate 6 months of marriage tomorrow on the 7th! God is so good, and has blessed us so much! Marriage has already been teaching us and growing us so much, we are excited to continue on this new journey together!