busy much?

I guess you can say that we have been extremely busy these last few weeks. Fall has definitely crept up faster than I was expecting and now it's already october! Seriously, where does the time go!! Well, John and I have been trying to do our best and not go crazy with all the stuff going on! John has done remarkably well. Me, on the other hand, was so grateful for john for making things sane! Here's what's been going on...

1. we moved officially!! at probably the worst time because of work and stuff, but we did it! We down-sized to a 1 bedroom and now this is our backyard :) well, we can walk here in like 2 minutes, it's just across the parking lot! John took this amazing picture!

2. September-October is always the biggest month for me at work, Small Groups launch! hooray! they went amazing this year, we totally tried something new and I'm so grateful we did! Normally, we do a big hoopla at the church to launch, but this year we did the hoopla in the individual small groups homes with parents. And I have to tell you the time that our leaders got to spend with the parents was pretty priceless!

3. Michelle got married!! Michelle and I have been friends since junior high. It was a beautiful wedding!!! we had a little high school reunion too, which was fun!




4. My boss went on vacation. Which normally would be fine, but again it was our busiest time of the year (for me at least). Thank goodness we have an amazing staff that pulled together and pulled it all off! I know I'm glad he is coming back because there are only so many things you can make decisions on and say, "I hope that's what he would do :/" I guess I'll find out this week!

5. My oldest sister moved to Thailand. Crazy! She went over just a couple weeks ago to teach english. Plans to be there for about a year. Weird to have a sibling on the other side of the world. Reminds me of when my brother moved to australia.

6. And my other sister and her husband and their cute new baby noah, came to visit and I got to take family photos! I'm no awesome photographer, but they turned out pretty good! I'll post them later :)

7. School!! took my midterm last night! It was the final busy thing on the agenda for this month. And...

I got a 97%!!! I was so excited!!

So now, I guess we move into a "slower" period, not really, it's more like, "not AS crazy period" :) Next big adventure is visiting Oklahoma in November for Chris & Gina's wedding! Excited to see everyone and have a little time off!

quick story...

here is the quick version of what has been happening in the last 3 weeks...
1. houseboats, didn't meet my expectations...learned a TON, but took care of sick students the whole time. I felt so bad for them being sick in over 100 degree weather!

2. John and I are moving!!! we get the keys to our new place on the 15th! literally we are 100 yards from the ocean!

3. I started back in school for my nursing degree and made a wonderful friend name Kelli! She is pretty much me, just a year younger and blond! It's awesome!

4. this is my sweet friend, Amanda and her husband Adam. 3 weeks ago we found out Adam has a rare form of Luekemia and begins his treatment (that is very aggressive) tomorrow. PLease keep them in your prayers, for healing, rest, strength, patience, and courage.


here is where you can read more about his story http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/adamokelley

off to Houseboats!!!

if you need me...
I'll be at the lake..

taking pictures like this...


and hanging out with people like this!

best trip of the year is about to begin...so excited!!! Praying I can sleep on the bus :/

see ya later!

happy anniversary!

2 years ago today I started at Mariners Church! I have loved it, learned a ton in the past 2 years, have fallen more in love with Jesus, works with an amazing JH team, and made some great friendships!



Excited for the future of Junior high ministry, grateful God's hand is on us!

holy cow weight difference....

yikes....


grateful for the accident!

thinking, praying, learning...

a lot right now...

being patient, trying to understand God's will for our lives, realizing the amazing blessing God has given us...

things are good. great. wonderful. Even in times of uncertainty, I'm grateful for my amazing husband.

Yah, lots going on. Lots of great things going on.

6 months down, 6 more to go!!!

this was me about 6 months ago...



I can't believe it's been that long! I am so excited to get my braces off in february, I guess it's not all bad, I lost a total of 20lbs and am loving life in a smaller size :)

meet my nephew....

Noah Denzler Hazen

Born June 22, 2009
@6:00 in the morning

weighing in @ 4 pounds 10 ounces!

proud Auntie!


and uncle John!


Can't wait to teach him all sorts of things :)

haven't blogged...

...in forever


might start again :)

not sure who reads this?

back together again...

that's right! Megan and Matt came into town so we had a full weekend together!
we had a lot of fun with all 5 of us, spouses and boyfriends!
Brent & Tara got a new little puppy! So we welcomed Rigley to the clan!
Soaked in as much megan time as we could!
And just had a ton of fun...

I have a lot more pics, but they are on my other computer...I'll post later if I remember!

you may think i'm crazy....

but i'm dang excited...
to have 12 students over to my house to sleepover!!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

been a while....

Well, I'm sure most people now stopped reading my blog. I would after almost 2 months of nothing :) So here is the quick update on the last 2 months...

We have celebrated a lot of birthdays in the last couple months...kristen and I showed up to tara's in the same bathing suit...haha, figures! don't worry, we rocked it!
john and I flew back to oklahoma for easter. I really didn't use my camera very well this trip, but we had a great time with our family and friends...and a wonderful time with our niece!!
Surprise!!! that's megan...
and that's me and megan...
The four of us... me, kristen, tara, and tiff made the 12 hour drive to grand junction, colorado to surprise megan. It had been planned for about 8 months! We had an amazing weekend! I love love love these girls!
Did you know my sis is prego??? welp, she is...due August 4th! They don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so we painted the babies room pokadots! I got to go visit her in vegas a couple weeks ago!
Happy Anniversary! 2 years on May 4th! john and I celebrated our anniversary practically all week! We went up to LA and spent most of the day in old town Pasadena, Westwood, and Malibu! we were all over the place.

then the night before we went to a delicious dinner with my parents and stopped by the Montage on the way home to remember our engagement!
And the night of...we stayed in dana point, went to our favorite Thai place and walked over to the view of the harbor...it was wonderful! I am seriously married to the most wonderful man in the world!
flowers from my amazing husband!

So that's the latest from us...i'll try to do a better job! We have had a great 2 months...teeth are healing slowly, spending a lot of time together with john, family, and friends...no complaints!!!

pain of discipline vs. pain of regret

So last week John woke me up to say goodbye and I decided I would turn on the TV and lay in bed for a while (something I rarely get to do). So I turned on the news and was bored, flipped thru some channels and landed on MTV Made. Lame I know. But I got sucked in for about 15 minutes and learned a lot from a high school senior. Some cheer leading squad wanted to win something and all of them were fed up and frustrated with their coach so they left. One of the Senior boys yelled at the girls (it was awesome) and talked to them about how the pain they feel now is the pain of discipline, but the that they will feel the pain of regret when the leave and it's much worse.

I thought to myself, that's really smart. How have I never heard that from a coach? weird. Anwyay, it got me out of bed and I allowed, Jillian Micheals from the Biggest Loser (on DVD) to kick my butt for an hour and it felt GREAT!! I realized every time I want to lay around and not workout or eat something bad for me I will feel the pain of regret, I would much rather be on the side of discipline.

So I had a little help in the food area because (most of you know this) I haven't been able to chew for the last 2 months. So, not by choice I have drastically changed my eating habits. And I have lost A LOT of weight. But it was so funny how I actually LEARNED that it really is all about your portions. We (Americans) eat WAY too much!! I go back to the doctor on thursday and I'm praying that he'll tell me I can eat normal foods, but I think I am going to stick to the diet of NOT gorging myself. I love that I haven't felt sickly full in 2 months. :)

Ghost Hunters...

So John and I like to watch Ghost Hunters before we fall asleep, well, before I fall asleep and he stays up to watch...

Anyway, we don't really buy a lot of the stuff they say, but it's pretty interesting to watch. Most people may think that it's crazy to watch that before falling asleep, but I always sleep very well. In fact John was gone a few weeks ago and I watched it alone as I fell asleep, felt like he was lying there with me :)

just a little inside info to our lives ;)

I love my niece...

and I miss her so much....

She was using the shower as her stage!!

back at camp...

so I am back at camp this weekend speaking at kids camp (3rd thru 5th grade) and it's been pretty fun! Our junior high was here about 2 weeks ago so I find myself looking for my students, leaders, and our staff....nope just me! My friend Ali is the Children's coordinator and so she and I are spending a lot of time together.

I also have tons of time alone which I don't get very often with John and my busy schedule. It's nice to be away and reflect on all that God is doing in our lives, to pray for the future, and just sit in God's presence. I am really grateful for this time to get away. SO my weekend looks like; making sure messages are ready to go (I did them a long time ago), resting, spending time with God, watching a little basketball (there is a TV in my cabin), planning a summer camp for 8th grade girls, and missing this guy a whole LOT...

26! yikes I feel old!

So I turned 26 this week and I must say I feel old! The braces are helping me feel nice and young, but moving up in your twenties feels weird.

My parents got me gift cards, gift cards, gift cards. One of my new years resolutions was to not purchase any clothing items till my bday, I must say it was harder than I thought! Thanks to mom and dad I got to have a little shopping spree, I got a new dress, bathing suit, and jeans...! John's parents got me a Kitchen Aid mixer! I was super excited!!

John was great for my bday! He spoiled me rotten! Before camp he got me a new North Face....it's so fun! Some red Toms when I got home, gift card to the Nike store, and forever 21. On my bday we went to Disneyland and they gave me a $69 disney giftcard! I found a cute billabong dress, thanks Disney!!

Friday morning I got to have coffee with Kristen and she gave me all liquids..haha!! My favorite was a bottle of white wine called, "Five Friends"She wrote all the names of us girls from Biola...Me, Megan, Tara, Tiff, & Kristen, so cute!

He then invited some friends to come down for dinner on friday night! We had a great time! And then they all came back to play on saturday! It was a great bday!

Tara got me the cutest candle holders! It also took us a lot of pics to get one where Tara didn't close her eyes...this was the best one...haha!


I sure do LOVE him! His bday is in one month...taking lots of notes for great ideas!!

found some more pics...

So I thought I didn't take any pics the next day when my lip was giant, I was on vicodine. The pics don't do it justice, but for your enjoyment!

pictures of the tooth...

So here are the pics....It was a very painful process and looks like it will continue for about a year...

This was sunday night, approx 7 hours after the injury. The lower half of my face swelled and the next day my lip was giant. So we have no pics of the next day, but just think of a simpson's character that has a giant upper lip and a tiny lower lip

this is the brace/bracket they put on my gum after they moved the tooth as best as they could back in place, swelling was down.



Me and my clear braces that I will have for a year. I get lower braces on the bottom teeth on saturday in order to fix my bite. The impact shifted my bite out of place.


the brace on my gums removed (3 weeks after the accident) it was bloody and pussy for a few days... Gross is all I can say.



cleaned up and now waiting for the gums to heal...

So as of now, I am still on a "no chew" diet, I don't know for how much longer. My upper teeth have changed yellow because of a rinse I had to use for my gums. I go to the dentist tomorrow for a cleaning, praying it works, if not I will have yellow upper teeth and white lower teeth till I get my braces off and can bleach them. All in all the situation is pretty lame, trying to stay positive and learn all that God has for me in a silly little tooth!

home from the oral surgeon...

Got home a little bit ago from the oral surgeon. The doc took off my braces on my gums. I am super numb still, but anticipating pain soon. My gums are gnarly looking! really nasty, but I am so glad I to not have that brace in my mouth. He says I will be back on vicodine when the numbness wears off.

Still on a no chew diet for a minimum of another 2 weeks...ugh! I am currently working on documenting everything from the last few weeks and am planning to post it with pictures. SO I will prepare you now that the pics can be unsettling (I don't think they're that bad, but people cringe when they see them), so be careful of reading the next post after this!

P.S. if you ever need an oral surgeon (I hope you don't) but I know an AMAZING one!

What my last few weeks have been like...

Well, things haven't gotten any easier. I am reminded daily by other peoples stories that it could have been A LOT worse. My friend Michelle had to have her jaw wired shut for almost 4 months! My friend Anna had all four of her front teeth knocked out in high school and has to get them re-done every 6 years! Craziness! My story is not that bad, but I have bad days.

I am still on a "no chew" diet, which is really annoying, I can't really smile like I use to, and I am still in pain. Today was one of the worst days at the dentist and because of a stupid dental assistance I am back on vicodine for pain. I also found out today that I need to get braces. My appointment with the orthodontist is on Saturday and my appointment with the oral surgeon is on Monday. So if I get braces on Saturday I will have a LOT of metal in my mouth this weekend!

I am trying to see the bigger picture, trying to learn what God wants to teach me through this, trying to stay positive, but some days it's just hard. I am frustrated at the pain, the time, the COST!! it's unbelievable! I do have an amazingly supportive husband who takes the BEST care of me and allows me to be sad some days. I appreciate your prayers and suggestions on food. This will all pass and I will have a straight white smile again...I just don't know when.

The first day after the accident when I was in so much pain and so sad, I was encouraged by this...

Hebrews 13:5b

“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”

I am grateful that God cares for me and my stupid tooth!

I need your ideas....

Ok so, I am feeling a lot better, but like I said previously I am on a "NO chew" diet. So basically anything I can swallow or crush with my tongue against the roof of my mouth. So I need your ideas! My diet currently consists of...

yogurt
mashed potatoes
smoothies
tomato soup
any broth-y soup
cheesecake
cottage cheese
oatmeal (but it's a little difficult)

needless to say, it's only day 6 and I am already bored and anxious for the month to end.

Is there some obvious soft foods I am missing?

Life is still good...just a little overwhelming

hello all,

well, i wanted to let you know a little bit about what's going on with me....

on sunday i was elbowed in the mouth during a game of ultimate frisbee at the church (before superbowl) my front right tooth was shoved up and back in my mouth. So after the hit we went to the ER and waited around a lot, there wasn’t much they could do, but they CAT scanned my face to make sure the bone above my tooth wasn’t broken. Even thought they didn’t do much it ended up being a blessing that we went.
So monday went first to an oral surgeon only to find out that it wasn’t covered on my dental insurance, so this began a LONG day of running around to different doctors trying to figure out what the heck to do. It was very frustrating and overwhelming. So we finally went to and endodontist (nerve specialist) and found out the nerve in my front tooth is dead. So from there we jumped through a few more hoops to finally see an oral surgeon, thinking we were going to have to pay out of pocket, we showed up and the staff there was AMAZING. So nice, kind and helpful. Anyway, the girl figure out since it was an accidental injury and we went to the ER it is covered under my regular medical insurance and not my dental insurance! Praise God! The surgery only cost $10.
So the details are…they were able to put my tooth back in place using wires to hold it there, it’s basically braces on my gums, yeah pretty gross. I have to have it on for 1 month and only eat soft foods, they say I am on a NO chew diet. Oh goody. So today I went back to the endodontist to get a root canal and then we pray that the tooth stays alive. Best case scenario the gums surround the tooth and keep it in place. Worst case scenario it doesn’t take and I will lose the tooth and then have to get an implant which would leave me toothless for a bit. So please pray the tooth holds!
I still have a GIANT lip, but all in all we know it could have been a lot worse. God is good and provided really great people/doctors for us yesterday and today, we seriously are so blessed! I’m not the biggest fan on HMO dental insurance people, so I need to soften my heart towards them ☺ Thanks for your prayers for me and for John, he did amazing caring for his somewhat hysterical wife at moments yesterday. if you could pray for me and john that would be awesome. God is seriously so wonderful and we have been able to find blessings in the midst of a bummer of a situation. Thanks for all your prayers!

I have pics, but I think I need a few more days before I post them...

Life is good.

Things have been pretty busy in the Snyder household. But it's been really fun too!! Some exciting news is that our dear friends Sean & Michelle are MOVING HERE!!! from oklahoma! We met them at our short stay in Oklahoma after we got married and often feel like God moved us all the way there just to have Sean & michelle a part of our lives! So I can't wait for April 5th! The day they roll into town permanently!!

grocery shopping...a little silly!

So grocery shopping in the Snyder household is a little ridiculous! I do major grocery shopping once a month and then the rest of the month is usually just as needed. But here is what I come home with...
So I shop at trader joes for most of our food, ralphs for brand names we can't give up, and gelsons for fruits, veggies, and meat. Kind of silly I know, but we like what we like :)

I might be adding a 4th...ummm cuz World market is amazing!!