Pictures AND STORIES

Click to see Haiti pictures.

Of course, Matt failed to include himself in these pictures.

I thought I would add this link to Jamie's blog. She was on the trip with Matt and updated daily while they were there. She and her husband are adopting two children from Haiti.

Matt says he will blog about the trip, but that's highly unlikely.

These links go directly to Jamie's Haiti posts:

Pictures with Explanations

More Pics w/ Captions

Day 2

Day 3 Part 1

Day 3

Day 4

home sweet home

Well, I picked up sweet Matt at the airport tonight, and he's home safe and sound. But let's just say that we didn't show much affection right off the bat at our glorious reunion. Although he had showered in Port au Prince, he still smelled very much like Haiti.

Upon entering the house, I issued an immediate mandatory laundry cycle.

"Get the water as HOT as it goes. Empty your suitcase. Everything goes, even those jeans, and I don't care if you wore them or not. Put that dirty clothes bag in there too... all of it. And double the detergent."

Matt is in the shower now, and should be there for awhile. I expect that sufficient cleanliness will take a minimum of 45 minutes.

More updates from his trip to come!

Happy Birthday, Rach!

Love you, Rachee!!

please explain this man to me

If there is one trademark that I totally do not understand, it's this guy, The Michelin Man. Is it me, or is he just weird? He's been around since 1898, according to Wikipedia. Amazing.

What's more amazing? The fact that I busted out my computer at 1am to write about this. I was watching TV, saw a Michelin commercial, and couldn't help myself.

I know Matt will be proud of how I've spent my time in his absence.

embarrassment- the shame you feel when your inadequacy is made public

Why? Why? Why do I say really stupid things?

This morning I went to a breakfast meeting for Goodwin Management, Matt's company. I was invited because I am an agent for Goodwin Partners, the real estate brokerage. Matt, of course, was in Haiti.

So when his boss started introducing people, my immediate expectation was that if he had originally planned on introducing Matt, then I am surely going to be introduced in his place. Sure enough, that is what happened. So I could feel my face start to get red when he said, "And I wanted to introduce to you the head of accounting, Matt Gibson, but he's in Haiti this week. His lovely wife is here with us..." Uh oh, here it goes. So he proceeded to introduce me... but he didn't stop there.

"Tell us, how is Matt doing in Haiti?" (Here's where it went downhill.)

"Um... he's good... he's alive... he's gaining weight."

WHAT? Nice details, Leah. "He's doing well" would have been a fine answer. Instead I spewed out, "he's gaining weight" as if he was there specifically for that purpose.

As usual, I didn't get embarrassed until I got in my car and started thinking about what I had said. Aaaaaah.

but God

As long as we rehearse the strength of our sin more than we rehearse the great strength and grace of our God, we cannot expect to change.

Bon Appétit

Since Matt has been gone, all healthy eating habits have gone down the drain. The line up? Rudy's, Chick Fil A, Jason's Deli, Chili's (gross I know), Chipotle, and Frozen Pizza. Yes, I am feeling pretty gross right now.

So one of my concerns about Matt going to Haiti was that he'd fall below that all time low weight of 159. This concern was only heightened when I considered that I could possibly be tripling his calorie consumption.

But it's worse than I ever expected.

It turns out that Matt is actually "eating pretty well" there. I talked to him tonight, and those were his exact words. It turns out that the people at the Real Hope For Haiti center are cooking tasty and nutritious meals for Matt and his team. "Greeeeeeat," I thought to myself sarcastically. Why is this a bad thing? Let me answer your question with another question.

Would you want your husband to go to a 3rd world country and get fed better than he does at home? Doubt it.

I am not sure whether I should feel gratitude or shame. Probably both... but I mostly feel shame.

Haiti Updates

Some updates about Matt's Haiti trip here.

can't wait

This is what it will be like when Jesus comes back to reign on earth.

Isaiah 11:1-9

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;

4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.

7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.

Now there's a change we can believe in.

Sunday's Sermon

Go to my church's website, and download the Sermon, "A Tale of Two Cities."

God reveals himself through my big sunglasses

I was driving today, thinking about what it's gonna be like when Jesus comes back. It's a very pretty day today, and so I took off my sunglasses for a second to look at the sky and the trees. God showed me that when he comes back and we see him as he is, that it will be like taking off our sunglasses. Everything will appear brighter and more beautiful in light of Jesus. And in fact, he is working right now to lighten the shades we have on now so that our eyes will be able to behold Him when he appears. Lord, do it now! Take off our blinders. We want to see you.

he thinks he's so hilarious

Leah: I know what I want to be when I grow up.
Matt: Oh really, what?
Leah: Guess.
Matt: I don't know, an astronaut?
Leah: No. Just think of something that would fit me; it's really easy.
Matt: You want to do sleep studies?

you gotta love matt

Matt is very well trained. Yesterday afternoon, I got my hair highlighted. Matt knows how excited I am every time I get my hair highlighted. I usually ask him like 10 times if he thinks it looks awesome, and every single time he humors me and tells me how much he likes it.

Well, this time, I wasn't finished with my appointment until about 7:30pm. It gets dark these days around 7:30. After I was finished, I called him to see if he wanted to go out to eat (because who the heck wants to cook with newly highlighted hair?). And to my surprise he was on board with that suggestion.

So I picked him up from home in the PT Cruiser (oh yes we still have it) at about 10 till 8, and it's definitely dark at this point. He hops in the DARK car, and the first thing he says (almost w/out looking) is, "Your hair looks great!" Ah ha! I caught him! "Umm babe, you can't see my hair. It's dark." Oops. Good try though. Don't worry, when we got to the restaurant he told me he liked it again.

danger is his middle name

If you know Matt, you know that he doesn't make spontaneous decisions. In fact, we are both pretty lacking in the spontaneity department. Matt is actually worse than me, if that tells you anything. I mean we have to plan our vacations like 6 months in advance or else they won't happen.

So you can imagine that I was wondering what had happened to my Matt when he decided today (Thursday) to go to Haiti on Monday for five days with a group from our church. Not only is Haiti the poorest country in Western Hemisphere, but it is also a little on the dangerous side (and that's an understatement). This is soooo not Matt-like.

We'd both appreciate your prayers for him and the group he is going with!

I'm thinking that since he is leaving on such short notice and going to such a dangerous place, I may have a little bit of leverage right now. There is only one thing I ask before he goes... (Picture me smiling really big right now!) :) Yes, I WILL get him dancing on camera.

Regretting the PT Cruiser Decision

I forgot when I chose this car that Matt wasn't actually going to have to be seen in it. I am actually very embarrassed about it. I have found myself looking around to make sure that no one I know is near when I get out of the car.

I was at the church office today, and someone that "sort of" knows me saw me getting out of the PT. "Great," I thought, "She's gonna think this is my car." Later I saw her, and I quickly informed her that it was a rental. She laughed and said that I "didn't seem like the kind of person who would drive a PT cruiser." I don't know what that type of person is, but I'm taking her comment as a compliment.

Cruisin' Together

I love Enterprise Rent A Car. You can always count on excellent selection and service. For me, it was either a Kia Spectra or a Chrysler PT Cruiser. When the guy told me my choices, I laughed out loud and said, "Oh Gee." Haha. Then I considered how much Matt hates PT Cruisers and the decision was easy. "What the heck," I said, "I'll take the PT Cruiser." And there you have it. My car, which was recently hit while parked, should be out of the shop in a few days.

consumer reports

1. A "Frosty Shake" from Wendy's. Tonight I ordered a chocolate frosty shake for the first time. Can I just say, "UGHHHHHH that's NAAAAASTYYYY." I think they thought I said a copper frosty shake, because that's what it tasted like. Blend some pennies and milk together and put a cherry on top, and that's what a Frosty Shake from Wendy's tastes like. I kid you not. $2.59 down the drain.

2. A latte with protein from Starbucks. I must admit that I haven't actually consumed this product. The reason is that just thinking about it gives me a stomach ache. Two words came to my mind the first time I saw this product on the menu: farty and bloated, just like Mugatu. I didn't even try the free sample.

3. The ipod shuffle. I like it! It falls short in only one way: it hasn't motivated me to go to the gym yet.

matt: an incredible dancer

One thing you wouldn't expect about Matt is that he can truly shake it. For two nights in a row now, I have been trying very hard to get Matt dancing on camera. He hates it. He says that I am treating him like a zoo animal. (You decide.)

So one way I tried to get him to dance was by playing the Michael Jackson song, "Rock With You." This was actually a very good decision on my part because not only was it next to impossible for Matt to resist dancing, but he also had to resist singing. He took the easy way out and crawled into the bed, where I know that he was secretly tapping his foot to the beat.

Not sure if you know this, but Matt sings like a Backstreet Boy. Truthfully, I don't have words to describe what it sounds like when Matt sings, but rest assured, I am working AROUND the clock to get it recorded for you.

The first time that I demanded that Matt dance on camera his response was, "My dancing is not for the world to see." I must respectfully disagree.

I had big plans to show you a couple of my attempts so far because they are hilarious. Unfortunately, my computer is not cooperating, and I am tired.

News on other fronts? Hurricane Ike is headed for Central Texas. Not sure if Matt is excited or concerned, but one thing is for sure... he's LOVING the weather drama.

oh and one more thing on the stomach virus

I forgot to tell you that Matt caught the stomach virus, too. Now last Tuesday, Matt tipped the scale at a whopping 172.5 pounds. This is the most he has weighed since we've been married. I was so happy for him! Then came the virus. By Friday he had reached an all time low since we've been married, barely weighing in at 159.

what happens when Leah eats donuts

I love donuts. I love all sweets, actually. (Which is why I've had like 1000 cavities, but that's another story.) When I was in high school, I could DOWN me some donuts. :) I'm talking like 5, possibly more.

So I knew I was getting old when this stopped being enjoyable. I remember very clearly the first time I felt terrible after a donut binge. Matt and I were in our first apartment, and it was a Saturday morning. We went to HEB to pick up breakfast because, as usual, there was nothing in the pantry.

Matt's choice? A bagel and orange juice. Leah's breakfast of champions? Two donuts and chocolate milk. So we get home, and (as is also custom) I started and finished eating before Matt sat down at the table. (He still doesn't understand...when it's time to eat, there is NO TARRYING!)

Now I am not quite sure why, but in like 5 minutes I passed out- asleep. It must have been that my old body could no longer handle the sudden spike in blood sugar levels. I got back in bed before Matt had ever started his breakfast, and I was there for a good two or three hours. I thought this was going to be an isolated instance, but after several occasions of having sweets for breakfast, I realized that I could no longer do it and expect to stay awake.

Now in my old age, the sweetest thing I can have for breakfast is high fiber cereal. Okay, but I'm getting off topic. You see, I still haven't learned my lesson completely.

Last Wednesday night I, for some reason, decided to go to Krispy Kreme for dinner. I had two donuts (one was free) and regular milk (instead of chocolate). Let me just say that I don't think my body was made to digest those babies...

Wednesday night was the beginning of a long, drawn out stomach virus and illness that I never ever want to repeat. (You thought I hadn't blogged because I was busy, but actually, I was sick.) And although the virus and the fever probably didn't have much to do with Krispy Kreme at all, I am temporarily cured of my lifelong love affair with donuts.

Shout out to Rachael, my fellow donut lover, who inspired this awesome blog post.