C Me As Hope

Lang and I have become temporary vegetarians.  What do I mean by temporary?  Well, through a long process of research and realization, we are having moral issues with the farming industry in the world today.  Not the farms that you think of when you sing along to “Old McDonald Had A Farm.  E-I-E-I-O!”  Or the farm you think of when you watch “Charlotte’s Web”.  But the industrial farms that plague the world today.  The farms that don’t care about the life of the animal but the dollars that can be made by it.  The more animals that are packed into a farm, the more dollars can be made.  But with so many animals and so little space, what is the actual quality of life of the animals.  Most people don’t think twice about it because the animal is just considered their next meal.  Lang and my journey began with the question of, “Is this how God intended these animals to be treated and cared for?”  (A question raised by a podcast given by Greg Boyd.)  That is where our research began.  We looked at “Free Range”, “Cage Free”, and “Organic”.  Discovering that none of these words actually mean that the animal lives out it’s life as intended by God and then comes to the end of it’s journey on my plate in my dining room.  (Or anything close for that matter.)  This was a sad discovery because we like eating meat.  It’s delicious.  But morally, with the knowledge I hold now, I can not blindly eat meat.  This doesn’t mean we won’t ever eat meat (or maybe it does), it just means that we are in the process of educating ourselves to be environmentally and spiritually responsible with our actions…as we see fit.   I see it as a belief.  We believe that farming animals this way is wrong so we are not supporting it.  All we ask is that others respect that decision…not agree with it…just respect it.  We don’t judge others whom do eat meat for the same reason.  We respect their belief.  Their decision.  I have heard many people say, “Don’t tell me about it because it will ruin eating meat for me.”  I understand that.  This has been a process for me that has shaped itself for many, many years.

I have learned a few things in the short 3 weeks that we have completely stopped eating meat:

1. It is really hard to go over to someone’s home for a meal when they eat meat and you don’t.  It can sometimes cause panic for the host and a feeling of judgment by the guests.
2. Most people like eating meals without meat, if they are just shown how to make a nutritious meal with more than just bread, cheese and carrots.
3. Like most other things, what people don’t understand they will attempt to mock or degrade.
4. Eating no meat comes with a stereotype.
5. A lot of foods have animal products in them.
6. A lot of household products have animal products in them.
7. I like trying new recipes with new veggies that I have never heard of…like fennel!
8. Faux meat is faux-delicious…as in “not good”.  I am sticking with veggies, beans and grains.
9. I still have a lot to learn about veggism.
10. I would like to learn more on how to make changes in our current farming standards.

My New Year’s Wish: For more people to become more educated on what we are doing to our environment (including the animals) and take purposeful action to make a difference.

Happy (Safe-No-Drunk-Driving) New Year ~ Carla

Our local channel 4 news program featured Lang and I yesterday on a segment called “Making A Difference”.  We were very excited to see how our story would look on tv and hopeful that I at least one person would find inspiration from our triumph.  As we eagerly watched ourselves on tv, many thoughts ran through my head.  I wondered how we would be perceived, how our story would/could help others and worst of all, all the “should of-could of-would of’s”.  I have a bad habit of replaying an event or situation over and over in my head and think of all the other things I should have said.  It takes away from the joy of the outcome.  So I am learning to be content with the words that come out of my mouth and move on.  It is proving to be harder than you would think.  Being a writer, I can sit and think about what I want to say before I put in on paper but with speaking…I am hostage to the first words that come out.  The news did a great job telling the love story of Lang and myself while using the marathon as an example of our commitment to each other.

I have learned from the few interviews that we have done, that I do not like to be in the spotlight.  I will leave that up to Lang.  I thought it would be great to speak about our story and my experiences but I am rethinking that option.  I think I am more comfortable behind the scenes, working on the foundation, and supporting Lang in his venture with his book.

On another note, we are heading to WA on Saturday for the holidays.  We will get to spend two weeks with our family and friends in the freezing cold.  I can’t wait and plan to enjoy every minute of it.  We are taking the kiddos to see the Nutcracker at the Pacific Northwest Ballet, which is one my all time favorite Christmas traditions.  I have taken Darian to the Nutcracker for the past 4 years and we have such a great time.  This year will be the first year we will get to share this tradition with Lang and Lara.  I hope they love it as much as we do.   I think they will.  For those of you counting down…Only 8 more days till Christmas!

Carla

Here is the link for the article that the Tucson newspaper ran about us last week.

http://www.azstarnet.com/altds/pastframe/sports/321121

It graciously mentions the C Me As Hope Foundation that we started and Lang’s book that he is almost finished with.  We are still looking for a publisher for the book and now that I have a break from school, I will be working on the foundation with more diligence.

Carla

Lang and I completed the Tucson Half Marathon this past weekend in 2 hours and 19 minutes!  It was full of amazing moments shared and a triumphant end.  I was able to run the entire race without stopping once.  This was my goal the entire time.  I didn’t care how long it took me to finish the race, I just wanted to run the whole thing and not stop.  I saw a lot of people walking so it wouldn’t have been the end of the world but for me, it wasn’t an option.  We had to leave the house at 5 am and stand in line at the high school for the bus to shuttle us to the start line.  As we stood in the dark and super coldness, I found myself watching the other people in line and wondering, “What does this event mean to them?”  I knew how important this event was to me and Lang but everyone else had their own reasons.  And after standing there, freezing my butt off at a ridiculous hour in the morning, I assumed that each reason had to be a good one.  No one would do this just for fun!

At the start line, Lang and I weaved through the mass of walkers and elderly joggers.  Lang stayed close to my heals as I shouted out “left” or “right”.  We were a great team maneuvering safely through the crowd.  Once we broke through all the people, we set our pace and settle in for the remaining 10 miles.  Soaking in the beautiful view of the Catalina mountains and exchanging thoughts, we swiftly passed mile marker after mile marker.  Mile eleven was when my feet and knees started to object to the constant punishment against the pavement.  That’s when Lang’s words of encouragement kicked in.  “Only 2 miles to go, babe.”  “You’re doing great!”  “Better than we ever thought.”  “Don’t give up.”  Some of these words sounded very familiar, as I had spoken them to him months earlier in the rehab hospital.

We victoriously crossed the finish line, hand in hand, with smiles that could light up the night sky.  As our friends and Darian cheered us on from the sidelines, I felt a wave of serenity and thankfulness.  Thankful for the opportunity and ability to share such an amazing moment with my husband.  Thankful for our great friends who shared our moment with us.  Thankful for God and all that He has done for us in our lives, in our hearts and for our future.

For me, completing the half marathon was the last milestone for Lang and I following his accident.  A lot of big “life” moments have taken place this past year for us.  And I am looking forward to whatever awaits us this next year.  Many people have asked me if I would run another half marathon.  Although the race was not as hard as I thought, the answer today…the day after the race…would be “perhaps but not for a while”. 

Carla

This morning Lang and I were interviewed by Tucson’s Channel 4 News.  They are featuring us on their “Making a Difference” segment and it will be airing next week.  (Day & Time to follow.)  We are very honored to have this opportunity to share our faith, hope and love story with others.  Lang and I both feel that if we are able to help just one person in their time of need, then we have succeeded.  Our story is just our life so it doesn’t seem inspirational or extraordinary to us.  But we can see how others would see it that way.  We are just used to it.  We are also very blessed…with our family, friends, community, church, etc.  I like to think that Lang and I recognized our blessings before the accident but we both agree that since the accident, the term “blessings” has taken on a heartier meaning.

We are so thankful.  (And that is even an understatement.)  Our measurements of how big or small blessings are has been adjusted.  To us there are no small blessings, all blessings are of equal measure to us.  They are just that…blessings…all welcome and appreciated.  We celebrate everything from the silent moments together to the eight miles we ran today.  I also think our “need meter” has been altered.  We were in such dire need and so many people (even strangers) met those needs…came to our side…gave their time, money and resources, that we see fulfilling others needs as a priority now that we are able.  Whatever that looks like.  A friend needing help at work to get through the week, a kid needing a ride, a friendly meal with a neighbor, friend or stranger, a good listening ear for the lonely elderly, a smile and encouraging word for someone with wavering hope.  Don’t get me wrong…we still have needs (jobs, money for school, new treadmill, unlimited free airfare to WA, more intimate friendships, a publisher for Lang’s book, etc.) but we have faith that God will provide what we need, when we need it.  Jesus said that we should all meet each others needs.  Take care of each other.  Love each other.  Who doesn’t want to be like Jesus? 

I was really nervous before our interview this morning.  What was our message going to be?  Our story covers so much and can touch people in many different ways.  We would only have a short amount of time to tell our story.  What if we don’t say the right thing or waste this opportunity?  As Lang and I waited in our warm car for the news crew to arrive, Lang led us in prayer.  “Please Lord give us the words that will make you proud and bring glory to your kingdom.”  My nerves subsided and I was ready.  God would give me the right words.  Stepping outside of the car, I was shocked at how cold it was.  As I answered the reporters questions about the accident, what our days in the hospital looked like and why we are doing the Tucson half marathon, I fought back the shivers.  I did remember to thank our sponsor for the race, Foot Solutions, and Lang remembered to mention his book.  Most importantly, Lang and I were able speak of the love we have for each other and use the actions through out the accident to demonstrate that love.  I realize that we continue to demonstrate that in our day-to-day lives, just on what others might consider a smaller scale.  But like I said, our sense of measurement as been skewed.  We feel it’s even more important now to purposefully show that love to each other than it was in the hospital.  It’s easier to be kind, loving, and giving to someone who is ill or going through a hard time.  When real life begins, we could find ourselves taking each other for granted, and looking past the daily blessings that God provides for us. Just 9 months ago we were celebrating Lang brushing his own teeth and us sitting quietly in the sunshine listening to Dave Mathews Band.  Now we are going to run a half marathon!

We were provided a few opportunities to share this message with others and our hope is that at least one person is touched and changed by it.  We don’t know how many more opportunities we will have so we are determined to make the best of each one.  I pray that Lang’s book reaches many and that we continue to be blessed with each other, our family and our community.  Who knows where all this is going?  Maybe this is it?  Maybe this is just the beginning?  We are just determined to enjoy the ride!

p.s.  We will be posting the links to all the interview once they have aired…stay tuned!

Carla

I have started this thing with my son, where I take him on a date.  It’s really cute actually.  We go to a movie and then dinner, followed by a trip to the gelato shoppe.  I love it because he is nine years old and I don’t know how much longer he is going to want to spend time with me.  But what I realized this last date was that he loves it just as much.  It made my heart melt.  We made two pit stops along the way (shopping) and he didn’t complain once.  He was so helpful and patient.  I thanked him for being so well-behaved and he said, “Mom, I am just glad that we are together.  I don’t care what we do.”  I know…I should have recorded him saying that, incase he turns into one of those horrible teenagers (the kind I never was…he…he…he…just kidding).  He is such a sweet boy and very sentimental.  He held my hand, cuddled up next to me in the dark theater, and carried a really good conversation throughout the evening.  We laughed and were goofy but the thing I enjoyed the most was that he just wanted to be with his mom. 

Now the down side to this was that we had to leave Lang home all by himself.  I am sure he enjoyed the time alone but towards the end of the evening, I started missing him dearly.  As Darian and I were eating our gelato, I said, “We have to go home soon.  I miss my husband.”  Darian laughed and said, “This might be the longest you have gone away from him.”  Silly boy…he might be right. 

Lang and I spend alot of time together since we are not working right now.  Lang works on his book from home and I am a full-time student, completing an online program…from home.  We also run together, volunteer together, run errands together, attend appointments together…you get the picture.  We both value the time we get to spend with out each other as well.  Time with our friends or just inside our own heads.  We know we are lucky.  We know that we aren’t “the norm”.  And we thank God for that.  Eventually, Lang and I will go back to work and daily comfort with each other will be shortened so we are cherishing the moments God is giving us right now.

As I was paying for dinner on my date with Darian, he said to me, “Geez mom.  You’re expensive.”  I laughed and said, “No little man…dates are expensive.  And you are the boy, so you get to pay on your dates.  So make sure that girl is worth it.”  The young man behind the counter started to laugh and said, “Or you can use the ‘I left my wallet at home trick’ and have her pay.”  We all laughed.  I was only half-joking when I made that comment to Darian but it got me thinking.  I am preparing him on how to treat a girl when he takes her on a date, why wouldn’t I teach him to be selective and know in his heart what he wants?  Because he may marry that girl and I want him to ache to be with her as much as Lang and I are with each other now.

Grace & Peace ~

Carla

I love being home.  Home for me is a semi-small town west of Seattle, WA.  I have lived in this town since I was in 5th grade so about 23 years.  Until my wonderful union with my husband that moved me to the desert.  We come home once a month to see Lang’s daughter, Lara, and so that Darian can see his dad.  I love coming home.  I love the seasons.  I love the rain.  I love the familiar sounds.  I love my friends.  I love my family.  I love my church.  I love the back roads and short cuts.  I love the smell of the water.  I love the moss covered trees, mailboxes and roofs.  I love the view of the snowy mountains.  But most of all, I love that I see people I know everywhere I go.  I don’t always know them but I know who they are.  “Oh, that’s the lady that works at XYZ.”  Or…”I know that guy from XYZ.”  It’s comforting to see the people who share your town.

I was sitting in a local coffee shop with Lara, while her daddy was ordering his super-duper-lots of sugar coffee, and we were gazing out the window.  In less than 5 minutes, I saw three people walk by that I knew.  I wouldn’t necessarily say that they knew me but I knew who they were.  A guy I went to high school with that was 2 years older than me.  A lady that used to work at a local catering company before it went out of business…She used to make their bank deposits at that bank that I worked at.  And a local shop owner that I had seen on the news when his shop was broken into.  These are my people.  People that care about my community.  I miss my people.

Lang laughs because he says we can’t go anywhere without me knowing someone and it’s true.  Partly because I grew up here, partly because I have an insane memory when it comes to people’s faces and partly because of my line of work at the bank when I lived here.  I had to know people to be successful at my job.  I was a bank manager and knowing people kept me employed.  As I sat in that coffee shop with my princess step daughter sipping her carmel steamer with chocolate sprinkles, I thought, I wonder if there are people that see me and think, “Oh, that is the lady from the bank.”  Or…”I went to school with her.”  Probably.  As a matter of fact, I had drinks with my best friend and her husband last night and they said, “Oh, Joe [their brother-in-law] said he didn’t want to be a crazy stalker but he saw you at Taco Time the other day when he was going through the drive thru.  He said to say hi.”    My people.  I love being home!

We are planning on moving home in June of 2010 and I am counting down the months.  Not because I don’t love the people in Arizona.  Not because I don’t enjoy the sunshine or the change of scenery.  But because it’s not home.  When I am here, I never feel like I am visiting.  Even now, we are leaving today…we have only been here for a few days but I feel like we are going back to AZ to visit for the seven months we have left there, until we come home…to WA.

Carla

To start off…we have some wonderful news!  Our story has been selected for The 700 Club!  Yay…Woo-Hoo…That’s what I am talking about!

We found out yesterday as we were trudging through the airport to come home to WA for Thanksgiving.  My phone actually started ringing as we were trying to get through security.  I recognized the number and told Lang, “That’s the lady from The 700 Club!”  His response was calm, as usual, “Well, hopefully she will call back.”  This is the exact moment when my 9 year old son decided it would be funny to mess with the security screener checking our id’s and boarding passes.  Because Darian doesn’t have id and now that we have  different last names, the guard usually asks him a few “casual” questions to make sure I am not high-jacking him.  This is usually a very simple and easy process but…not this day.  Not during holiday travel.  “Do you know this woman?”  The guard asks, as he is staring at Darian.  With a serious and straight face, “No.”  What?!?  Really?!?  I was stunned.  The guard just looked at me and I nervously smiled.  “Darian, you can’t say that at the airport.  It’s not funny.”  He doesn’t say anything.  At this point, Lang has already made it through the other line and is patiently waiting for us with a, “What is the issue?” look on his face.  The guard then proceeds to question the different last names…asking Darian who he was traveling with, etc.  The guard finally let us through to the next round of security screening and Darian got an ear full about being appropriate and not messing with the guards. Boys!

After a scolding for carrying 5 oz. hand lotion in my purse and Lang getting felt up by the “male assist” hand screening guy since he can’t go through the metal detector, I was finally able to retrieve the message from the women from The 700 Club.  As she shared the good news with my voice mail, I was doing a jolly jig right there in the middle of the airport.  “We got approved!”  I yelled at Lang.  “We are going to be interviewed on December 9th!”  “And they are going to air it on Valentine’s Day!”  Then the most important statement…”What am I going to wear?”

From the beginning of this journey, Lang and I have felt that we have been entrusted with an amazing message of love, faith and hope.  We are so excited that we will have this opportunity to share this message.

More good news…we met with our sponsor for the marathon yesterday.  Foot Solutions (our sponsor) has outfitted us with some great running shoes and apparel.  We will also have an opportunity to share our story as well via press release and/or media coverage.

God has given us so much to be thankful for this year and He keeps on delivering.  Praise God for He is good!  This second year in our journey is turning out to very exciting.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Carla

Not a long story or a descriptive adventure just some amazing things that are happening with us right now that could use some additional prayer.

First, we have been interviewed (informally) for The 700 Club.  Our story will go to a committee for final decision but if we are selected, we could be sharing our story with a ton of people.  If you are unfamiliar with The 700 Club, check out the website at http://www.cbn.com/700club/?WT.svl=menu.  We should know something within the next couple of weeks.  How exciting, huh?

But wait…there’s more!  For only $19.95, you could take home…just kidding…seriously…should I be allowed to share my thoughts willy-nilly like this?

Lang and I are still set to run the Tucson Half Marathon on December 13th.  I have spoken with the organizers at the marathon and they want to do some special things for us.  A few ideas were announcing us as we cross the finish line, contacting the local newspaper and news station to run a story on us, etc.  At this time, we have been contacted by a local runners store to sponsor us for the race.  Sweet!  I am never been sponsored for anything…this is amazing! Now I have to finish the race…no excuses…even if I have to crawl over the finish line.

I told Lang to hold on tight because I feel like this is the beginning of our story…the story that God trusted us to tell…taking off.  As I tell the story to new people, I discover a new truth or message that I hadn’t known before.  A truth about myself or those around me, or a message that Lang had shared through silent communication.  Bottom line is that I see know how our faith and love radiates through our lives and our story.  People want to hear it.  People are intrigued.  People want to celebrate with us.  It’s amazing and I anticipate this year to be full of awesomeness.  (Yes, that is a word I am very fond of.) 

Please pray that our story is received as it is intended and that we are quiet enough to hear Gods’ will.

Grace & Peace ~ Carla

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity and excitement.  In addition to regular life stuff like soccer games, homework, bible study, training for a marathon, etc., we were planning for Lang’s Survival party as well.  All the extra cleaning, planning and organizing was well worth it because the party was awesome!  The day of the party I was so with it.  I got up early and got some homework done.  Then I got all the tables set up outside, complete with tablecloths and centerpieces (which were Humpty Dumpty figurines, thanks to Lang’s brilliance).  Once everything was perfect…it started raining.  Now I have been told that it never rains in Tucson…well…those people are liars.  Because apparently, if you are planning an outside party and finish setting it up, it will start raining.  So Darian and I frantically pulled all the tables under the covering and I began to grumble.  At first my grumbling was quiet but as the day carried on, it got louder and louder.

See the reason for such early preparations was that Darian had a soccer game at 1pm…on the other side of town (45 mins away)…and we were going to barely make it home before the start of our party…at 3pm.  Putting my anxiety in my secret hiding place of my mind, we trekked across town to Darian’s game and feverishly cheered him on.  Precisely at 2pm, we scampered off to our car and (following all road safety laws) we hurried home to “get our party on”.  We raced in the house at exactly 2:45pm.  As we all changed clothes, re-set out the tables and completed all last minute touch ups of the house…our first guests arrived.

At that moment, all the chaos melted away and we were present with why we were having the party.  We had wonderful people coming to our home to celebrate Lang’s survival and our families journey through the past year.  Through out the evening, we laughed, drank, loved, met new faces, and remembered what God had brought us through.  There were a few tears but only tears of joy and gratefulness.

My favorite part of the evening was when all our guests (about 30) joined hands and prayed.  I started the prayer (which is huge because I don’t pray out loud with others) and Lang finished.  I am glad to remember the past year and move on.  I am excited for what is to come in the next year.  I feel that God has prepared us (Lang, myself and our children) for a mission.  His mission.  So I plan on living my life to the fullest, with admiration, appreciation and empathy, all the while letting God use me for whatever He sees fit.

It didn’t rain again after that morning but even if it had, it wouldn’t have put a damper on the celebration we were all experiencing in our hearts.

Carla