Introducing...

In an effort to make our blog more exciting we're officially introducing what will be two weekly posts from none other than Alan and myself. Alan will start the week off with "Alan's Two Cents" where he'll give us all helpful money saving tips. I know we all can use more pocket change, right? And I'll conclude the week with "Steph's Pick" where I'll highlight various fav's of mine - recipes, gift idea's, websites, entertaining idea's, etc.

This will all begin next week!!! I can hardly wait.

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Lake Tahoe

We had the incredible privilege of traveling to Lake Tahoe this past weekend for a long weekend of skiing with our dear friends, Kyle & Nealy! Now we had heard multiple people tell us how beautiful it is - but we had no idea. We were certainly in for a great surprise. As you can see in the above pictures - it is probably one of the most beautiful places in this country. God was certainly displaying His magnificent glory when He created the snow-capped peaks overlooking the beautiful waters. The view was something you might figure to only see in a magazine - Majestic!

While there the guys skied three full days and the girls two. We enjoyed some great food and got to spend some very enjoyable time with Kyle and Nealy - it really was a perfect long-weekend. I hope we can go back soon :)

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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

(Alan) What better time to start contributing to our blog than now? The most wonderful time of the year is upon us. No, it is not December...it's March. And that means only one thing in our household...March Madness!! I can't wait! In the span of 10 days (over 3 weeks or so), there will be 64 games of college basketball. Four teams will make it to the coveted Final Four and only one will be crowned National Champion. And of course there will be many shining moments.

I think there is a basketball gene in my family, seriously. It does not matter if we are watching or talking basketball. I grew up as a child filling out brackets with my family, and just moments ago completed this years round of brackets. It has become a tradition in our house. Like some people may always go to Sunrise Easter service - each person in the Flies family faithfully fills out a March Madness bracket. (I realize this comparision is weak)

I look forward to watching as many of the upcoming 64 games as I can - and with any luck I might win the coveted title of winning the Flies Family ESPN bracket tourney and have my own shining moment.

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The Bucket List

Last night I finally saw "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Now I have to be honest, although the plot of the movie sounded okay it didn't sound overly inspirational: two guys from different sides of the tracks end up in the same hospital room after discovering they probably have terminal cancer. They endure chemotherapy treatments together, waiting for test results together, getting sick together, and the stages of response as they both find out they have terminal conditions. It sounds a bit depressing, but it’s actually as inspiring as it is heart-warming (bring tissues ladies).

Anyone who’s ever walked through this season of life with family and close friends will find a warm embrace from a film that embraces your pain. Anyone who hasn’t gone through it yet will be better equipped. Even better, though, is a big-screen invitation to write down the things you want to do before your run is done…and do them!!!

Nonetheless, upon driving home from the theater last night I decided it was our turn to create a "bucket list" of some sorts. So here's our first item on the list - LEARN TO SURF.

What's on your list?

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Turning Back Time

I bet most of you remember the popular Cher song, "If I Could Turn Back Time." Right? Just thinking of that song makes me want to sing it out loud. :) For some strange reason that song reminds me of Daylight Savings Time - the reason for this post! Now, most of you reading this blog moved your clocks ahead an hour this past weekend. But since moving to AZ we ceased doing this bi-annual ritual. So a couple times a year we confuse ourselves all over again trying to determine which time zone we're really in and how many hours apart we are from our loved ones. And why? Why in the world does AZ not observe this practice?

In an effort to find out more information I did a little research this morning that I thought might be intriguing to you all. Wikipedia says "the state of Arizona has not observed DST since 1967. This is in large part due to energy conservation since the temperature in and around Phoenix and Tucson is hotter than any other large U.S. metropolitan area during the summer, resulting in more power usage from air conditioning units and evaporative coolers in homes and businesses. An extra hour of sunlight while people are active would cause people to run their cooling systems longer, thereby using more energy." Just a little food for thought!

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our annual addiction

I have an addiction. I am not to be trusted around anything sweet, particularly Girl Scout cookies. Just last week while both Alan and I were running errands, we stumbled across the smiley faces of our annual brown/green-vested cookie friends - the Girl Scouts. Please note that during this occurrence we were not together. So as you can imagine - we both came home with boxes of cookies from separate places. This certainly put smiles on our faces but a few too many cookies in our pantry.

Since last Friday, I have indulged in one full box of Samoas cookies (not to mention a number of Thin Mints). I feel terrible. And not just the mental ramifications of eating that many cookies. Physically, I feel as though I've consumed a lot of waxy, coconuty, fake chocolate pain. My belly is just churning. I realize that these items can be enjoyed in moderation, but my brain knows no moderation when it comes to stuffing my face with desserts.

I mean - honestly - sooner or later the annual Girl Scout cookie sales will be right up there with my dreaded Thanksgiving and Christmas sweet consumption. It might as well be a holiday in and of itself. (only joking obviously)

All that being said - my greetings go out to you - Happy Girl Scout Cookie Consumption Month!!!! Hear hear!!!

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Siphon Draw

After much anticipation we finally hiked Siphon's Draw - a very intense hike just east of The Valley at Lost Dutchman State Park. Alan had hiked it about 2 years ago but I (Steph) had never done it - mostly b/c I was afraid I wasn't in good enough shape. But yesterday I came face to face with the fear of not being able to make it to the top. Luckily I was able to make it just fine and we had a good time along the way.

Here's to fears conquered!

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the great climb

This past weekend we went Rock Climbing at AZ on the Rocks to celebrate our great friend, Chris Lindblade's birthday. Nick, Alan's brother, joined us as well because he was in town. It proved to be a ton of fun!

Now I couldn't help but think of a few "life lessons" throughout our time at the rock gym. (what did you expect? I'm always thinking about random stuff) Specifically one of the things that I noticed were the colored tape routes throughout the gym. Each color gradually guiding you to the top of the wall. Although you certainly did not have to take only one color route, it was a sure way to meet your goal of climbing to the top.

Practically speaking, you can think of reaching the top of the climbing wall as a specific goal in your life - or even your life in general. How incredible is it to think that in essence, the great Creator of this universe has chosen, before time began, a colored route for your life. He knows everything about me. He knows "when I sit and when I rise." Ps 139:2. And as it reads in Jeremiah 29:11,"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Although this passage may be up for theological debate, the basic lesson behind it is most certainly true - God is our sovereign guide.

So with that understanding, I keep climbing this wall called "life" - just one step at a time, following this great path laid out before me. Lord, guide us to the top with passion & endurance!

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a difference in human experience

I recently started attending a group fitness class at my gym - 24 Lift - an intense 60-minute lifting class. I love it for multiple reasons. But mostly because the instructor, together with the loud music make for a more intense environment where I challenge myself more greatly than if I was doing it on my own in the gym.
Just last night I was at the gym, waiting for the class to get started, when two hearing impaired ladies came into the room to also join in on the class. I couldn't help but observe the instructor as she tried to communicate with them. She mentioned that although she didn't know sign language, she would help them as best as she could - which is exactly what she did. I have to give her props - throughout the entire class she made it look as if she has always instructed deaf attendee's. They followed along just as well as any of us and in the end had the same outcome - they got their heart rates up, worked every muscle in their bodies and were glowing with sweat :) I left pondering this whole experience.
I had to think about what that class would have been like without the ability to hear anything. There honestly wasn't a second that went by that the sounds of the class didn't affect my actions. The music determines the pace at which we exercise - the sound of the instructor’s voice encouraged us to continue pushing although we wanted to give up. My ability to hear during those 60 minutes, to me seemed essential. However, obviously that wasn't the case for these two women. The reasons why they came - I could never tell you - but I do know that because of their attendance I left encouraged by their lives.
Wikipedia (a great online resource) mentioned something about deafness that I thought was very true to this whole situation - "...consider deafness to be a difference in human experience, rather than a disability." Amen to that!

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a library's best kept secret

Alan and I visit our local public library on a bi-weekly basis and have found it to be a great resource. However, recently I came across a great article in the AZ Republic highlighting some other perks to having a library card. In short the article highlights that the Phoenix Metro Library system provides their card holders free access to growing numbers of costly subscription-only Internet databases. Now some of you may think this really isn't all that exciting - but hear me out. Just by having a library card I can access websites such as Rosetta Stone (where I can learn a foreign language), Consumer Reports (normally at $26/ year subscription) or various medical sites for any medical concerns one may have. And that's just hitting the tip of the iceberg!! And the best part is that it's FREE!!! You have to check it out - even if you don't live in the Phoenix area, your public library may have a similar program.


The full article can be found at: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1203freedata1203.html.

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Happy Valentine's Day! Our best to you on this holiday that celebrates "love." As The Beatles, arguably the most noteworthy musicians of all time sung, "All you need is love." In light of this celebration I started to think about this great command, to love. Sounds great, right? And easy?

Let's be honest with ourselves- loving people, whether your family, friends or neighbors is not all that easy. Love often is a choice. I know this is certainly true for me. Although I would never hesitate to tell a loved one "I love you," when life gets tough (which it does a lot), acting in love is more difficult. Regardless of how hard it might to be love, it is a command of us by the Creator of this Universe. When the Pharisee's asked Jesus in Matthew 22:36-39"which is the great commandment in the Law," He replied with "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Nevertheless, what an incredible gift God has given us - to love Him and to love each other. That's something to celebrate. Although it may be more difficult than the movies make it look to love - this one thing is true - "We love because He first loved us." (1 Jn 4:19)
Thanks be to God!

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We're Back! What an incredible time our trip to Cancun proved to be! We only wish we were still there.

We spent most of our time relaxing poolside, overlooking the ocean and reading. I know, we have a rough life :) Our resort, The Royal Cancun, was unbelievable. And the food was just to die for. We ate all sorts of sea food, along with quail, eel, lobster, lamb, etc. My mouth is getting watery just thinking of all of the great food we had all week long.

We were also able to travel to Tulum, a Mayan Ruin area. What incredible history we learned of as we took this 1/2 day tour of the ruins.

For those of you interested in seeing more of our photos go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/alanandsteph

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So we're off to Cancun on Saturday! We can't wait to relax by the beautiful ocean. That means no blogging for at least a week. We'll tell you about our travels when we return.

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Upon moving to Phoenix I was quickly introduced to my new best friend - Starbucks! Not only Starbucks - but the Drive-Thru at Starbucks. At that time my work required me to start my days at 6 am - so I quickly fell in love with the Starbucks down the street that opened at 5 am. It was love at first sight! :)

So for the past 3 years I've been frequenting the Starbucks drive-thru at least once a week. Although this may sound fairly bad - I usually even look forward to my visits to Starbucks the day before I go! I know - tisk, tisk, tisk!

Now my beverage of choice changes probably 2-3x a year - but I was just introduced to my newest favorite Starbucks beverage just last week - a Triple Shot, Skinny, Extra Hot Grande White Chocolate Mocha. Although I love this drink - and will probably be addicted to it for the next few months - I have to admit that I'm a bit ashamed that I've entered into the world of what I call the "High Maintenance Starbucks consumer." A couple years back I remember being behind a woman that when ordering her drink spew out about 10 seperate adjectives to describe that one drink. At that time I vowed to never be "that kind of Starbucks customer." But as you can see, I've become my own worst nightmare!!! I just can't believe it. Nor can I really believe I'm blogging about it for the whole world to see. (thanks for the suggestion Jess!)

Regardless, here's a Friday morning toast to the wordwide addiction - Starbucks!

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Do you have a place that you just LOVE to go to, but don't get to all that often for various reasons? Well that place is Postino's Wine Café for us. It is this incredible winecafe that we just love - the wine, ambiance and bruschetta are just incredible.

Needless to say, we went to Postino's last night with some friends, Laura and Phil, and had a great time. After some great conversation, a wonderful glass of Cabernet and some delicious bruschetta we left already talking about when we would be back.

For those of you in the Phoenix area who have yet to visit this great place - please check it out. PostinoWineCafe.com

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This week I've had to ask myself - "How many times can I sing the most famous song in the world, Amazing Grace, but still have no idea why God's grace is really amazing?" I may be going out on a limb here - but I have a feeling that there are plenty of Christians out there that might find themselves asking the same question every once in awhile. You see - my mouth has been singing this song for probably the last 20+ years of my life - but I think it would be fair to say that my soul has never really quite understood this grace that I've sung about so many times.

With this in mind I started a Kay Arthur study this week that has already begun to shape my understanding of the grace in which I stand. You see - the word grace (used 156 times in the NT alone) in the original Greek language of the NT means "unmerited favor."
With that understanding I've been looking at this amazing grace, trying to understand what it means for my every day life. What does the "unmerited favor" of God really mean to me?

Well the answer is quite simple - EVERYTHING! The only reason why I awake each day with breath and life is because of the great favor of our Lord. Not only that (as if that isn't good enough), the fact that His grace goes beyond how much I do (in a spiritual sense) each day is so incredibly freeing. I can never be too good or too bad for the favor of God - because it is unmerited. That's the distinguishing attribute of God's grace over any other grace - it is beyond merit.

So as I continue my study of this great gift that God has lavished upon us please pray that God would reveal to me just how amazing His grace really is. My prayer is that each time I sing that beloved hymn and grow in my understanding of His grace, that the response would be three fold - it would bring glory to the only One who deserves it, that it would bring peace to my soul and that it would free me up to minister more affectively.

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Treasures. Scavenger Hunts. Have I caught anyone's attention with those words? I know it catches my attention :)

Recently Alan and I were given a GPS unit for Christmas (thanks Tom & Jane!). It was obviously a great gift for getting around Phoenix and for taking on trips - but it's become a source of great entertainment for us these past few weeks. I can describe our entertainment in one word - GEOCACHING! Our friends introduced us to this great hobby just a couple weeks back and we've been enjoying it ever since. Essentially it is a glorified Scavenger Hunt with your GPS system. It's just too great for words! We've found ourselves getting up on the weekends with one thing in mind - finding a cache! We'll even go out in our PJ's to find the next treasure.

For those of you who have yet to partake in this activity - you are seriously missing out. So, here's what I would suggest - find a friend or call us up and check this new phenomenon out. It's so much fun. Then let us know about your adventures.

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Alright - I have to be honest. I have never loved anything about rain. I guess maybe if I stay inside all day and get to stay in my PJ's and watch movies all day - then I wouldn't mind it so much. But who actually gets to do that? Instead I have to find my umbrella (which since moving to AZ has become virtually impossible to find), walk out in the cold rain, splash water on my pants and just feel miserable the rest of the day. Not to mention my hair gets extremely frizzy. Rain, ugh!!!

However, today as I sit and stare outside as the rain falls down from the heavens, I'm quickly reminded of the symbolization that rain is for my life. It reminds me of just how great or God, the Creator of this universe, is to me on multiple levels. First, He is my provider and supplier. Like David says in Psalm 147:8, "He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills," He made and causes each drop of rain to fall to this earth to provide for that which He created long ago! How incredible is that!

Not only this, but just as the rain refreshes the grass on this earth, His Spirit refreshes my soul. Just like rain falling to this earth, He indeed rains down the Holy Spirit on me to refresh, replenish and nurture my soul! And I know I need that in my life. I would be nothing without the power of the Spirit of the Lord upon me.

So - just as some parts of this life are rather uncomfortable - I pray that even in my lack of comfort as the rain falls today I might be quickly reminded of the Greatness of our God. Here's to the Creator of the phenomenon rain.

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Merry Christmas from our family to yours! As you can see - our Christmas was an extra special one because we were able to gather everyone on the Triggs side to celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus! (And in the meantime we tried to get a couple good family photos.)

Thoughout Christmas Day I couldn't help but think of the bond of family. As Charles Swindoll says "Home is where life is making up it's mind." Isn't that so true? Each one of the people in our family photo was influenced by a home long ago as well as their current home. And that home truly is where lives are making up their minds. I know that is true of me.

So in light of the celebration of the birth of our sweet Savior Jesus Christ and the family we all were birthed into when we accepted the gift of salvation from Jesus - here's a toast to the sweet baby Jesus and the great Family of God!

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Announcing the birth of Bria Ruth!!! Isn't she just too adorable?! Bria was born to our dear friends, Becky & Chris on December 20th. When asking the proud parents how they came up with the name Bria they further told us that the name Bria means "noble, strong, virtuous." This launched us into a discussion about the meaning of a name.

As some of you may know, the Bible is full of examples of people fulfilling the meaning of their names. Say Abraham for example. Abraham means "Father of a multitude or many nations." How true is this of Abraham? The father of Israel, God's chosen nation and the recipient of one of the most incredible covenants God has given mankind. Abraham truly fulfilled the meaning of his name. And Abraham is just a start. There are many more examples biblically and in real life of the truth behind a name.

All that being said - here is to little baby Bria - may she be a noble, strong and virtuous woman. Lord may it be so!

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