Ryan’s “Long” Hair… by Ryan

Boo! I am officially sad. I have an appointment for a hair cut (chop) tomorrow morning. As a self employed coffee shop & recording studio owner, my boss has always been ok with my hair but with public and corporate environment interviews looming, I figure my days of being able to sport my shag is going to have to be put on hold.

Why does our community STILL have a negative outlook on longer haired men? I am a sweet guy at heart and don’t mean any disrespect or harm by my hair… so what’s the big deal? What gives a shorter haired male an advantage over the other? Am I not a great citizen, employee, father, son, husband, child of God, etc. due to the length of my hair? Why does the majority of the older generations tend to stare awkwardly?

I’m bummed as I’ve just now achieved my goal inspired by my friends shown below:

2 days left of 2008

2008 is almost over. and honestly, i am so ready & excited for a new year. a fresh start. a new beginning. 2008 had many ups & downs for us. it has been an interesting & challenging year. we are at a transitional phase in our life right now and i feel as though 2009 has great things in store for our family! we have officially closed down our shop here in quitman & are in the process of moving out of the building by tomorrow…busy week! ryan & my dad are doing most of the work, as usual, because i’m at home with 2 babies. can’t say i mind that one bit! 🙂 we also have a contract on our house. we had it on the market for less than a week and it sold…the week of christmas no less. pretty crazy! its supposed to close at the end of january. so we continue our job hunt and pray that God opens a door….and opens it very soon! we will start packing up our house gradually (seems like we just moved in…oh wait, we did just move in!)…and where we will land next, only God knows. ryan & i remain optimistic and are very thankful for all the blessings in our lives, including our beautiful children. we know things are going to work out and are excited to see what happens next. thank you for all of your prayers & words of encouragement during this crazy time. we have decided to make these last two days of 2008 GREAT…i challenge you to do the same!

Studio Java is closing.

It is with saddened hearts that we announce that Studio Java will be closing its doors on Tuesday, December 23rd. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet some really neat people and will miss this place dearly. It has truly been an awesome experience pouring ourselves into this shop. What’s the reason you ask? Well…we are at a time in our lives where we must search for job opportunities elsewhere.  Since Ryan’s job was recently cut, we are now seeking jobs in Tyler, Longview, Austin and Dallas. Our house is up for sale as well, if you know anyone looking! We are very hopeful and excited to see what God is going to do next in our lives. Please stop by, if you live in the area, and join us for a latte one last time before we close! Also, we are selling a lot of stuff up there, so come by for first dibs. Thanks to all of you who supported us here. We are thankful for all of the great friends we have made because of Studio Java!

help us fill the box!

help us fill this box (at our coffee shop) with supplies for an awesome rescue center in haiti. we have family who are in the process of adopting two beautiful children from this place. haiti is in great need, so join us in doing what we can to make a difference this holiday season. if you have time… go check out the real hope for haiti website, you would be amazed at what these people are doing there. here is a list of items that licia, who is on staff at the clinic, says they could use the most. we will be taking donations until the end of the month. financial donations are welcomed as well. also, say a special prayer for these amazing people that have dedicated their lives to helping these children in need…and while you are at it, pray for aaron & jamie‘s adoption process. thanks for your help! 

 large safety pins for diapers
 infant formula
 ensure milk
 bottle/nipples
 baby powder
 baby shampoo
 baby lotion
 q-tips
 soap (individually wrapped)
 barrettes
 undies for boys and girls
 socks
 DVD/videos

websites, blogs, and graphic design

over the past few months, ryan has started offering graphic design & website services in addition to his audio engineering. i’m so proud of him! he’s SO talented and it always impresses me how he just comes up with this awesome stuff. go here to check out the latest custom blog he did for a local youth group. he also has designed new street banners for the city of quitman, the logo for this bakery, some super sweet t-shirt designs for studio java, & a new site for a local realtor. if you are ever in need of this type of service, let us know! we’d be happy to get you a quote. you can visit www.dixonproductions.biz for more examples of his work. i’m a proud wife, what can i say? 🙂

and the craziness continues…

today…church, lunch at allaso, studio session this afternoon, & then our shop is booked tonight for a chili’s employee party….geesh, life is BUSY!!! especially this weekend. i’m ready for monday for once. 🙂

update…the cents 4 sophie 5k was great yesterday! we had a good turnout & it was a lot of fun. here is a pic of sophie w/the winner of the race who finished in 19:07!

crazy busy!!!

we have a super busy weekend planned! today, we are preparing for the cents 4 sophie 5k which is tomorrow…stuffing race packets, organizing shirts, making signs, etc…all with the help of a two-year old and a ten-month old. 🙂 tonight, i have a party to attend & then our shop is open for the final home football game…so we will be there until probably midnight. then, an early start tomorrow for the race! girls are staying with grandma tonight. and on top of all of this, ryan has a retreat at allaso to run sound at off and on all weekend! in the midst of this, i need to find time to run & watch the tech game. craziness. pray for a great turnout tomorrow at the 5k…hoping to raise a lot of money for little sophie! have a great weekend! our’s will be great…just busy. here’s a pic of kam helping me on my computer…is it normal to have random food particles & juice spots on your mac? 🙂

randomness

-addi is acting up this week. disobeying, testing her limits, etc. its strange how one day she’s an angel and the next she is such a stinker! i don’t understand what changes. what makes her do this? is it just because she is 2? or does she feel that kamryn gets more attention some days? is it because she has some back teeth coming in?

-i have a few gray hairs…a few too many. i’m only 28!!!

-less than 6 weeks until my next half marathon….gotta get my butt ready! i’ve been running consistently, but i need to up my mileage on the weekends. my last long run was 8 miles two weeks ago.

-can anyone else find it hard to believe that it is already november?! craziness…christmas is right around the corner.

-i’m ready for it to be COLD already!

-regarding the election…whether you voted for mccain or obama…obama won, so PRAY for him as he takes office in january.

-need some cool shirts? jamie is selling shirts to help her & aaron make a trip to see their kids in haiti this december…go check out her site here for details.

-my sister is taking a trip to europe beginning friday and i am so jealous!

-my friend ashley is having her baby VERY soon. please pray for her, danny & their sweet baby grace as she enters the world!

–studio java has pumpkin spice lattes on special this month…only $3. tasty!

thursdays at studio java

thursday mornings, pretty much since we’ve been open, have always been “moms day” at our shop. us “moms” come together to chat while our babies play. thursdays work out well because its also mother’s day out here in town…for those of us with older kids, our hands aren’t quite as full! i always enjoy these days & spending time w/these girls & their adorable babies!

funny addi story

yesterday, at the coffee shop, addi was being unusually loud…good, but loud. she loves to run around, singing, dancing, and playing. we had a few customers in the shop…one of which came in to study. so ryan pulled addi in the back and talked to her. he told her that we love that she’s happy and we want her to have fun, but asked her if she could keep it down a little while she was up here…cute little talk. she agreed, in pure two year old form, and then proceeded to run back out front singing (loudly), “WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? WHO? WHO? WHO? WHO LET THE DOGS OUT? WHO? WHO? WHO?” hilarious. we all started laughing…even the guy studying. 🙂