me.

So this is where I am supposed to introduce myself to you?

Okay.

I am a disciple of Jesus and a lover of His word. I am learning about God’s grace, redemption, and unending love on a daily basis. God gives me amazing examples of His qualities through many of the kids I have taught and worked with over the years. Babies, toddlers, little kids, and big kids. They all teach me lessons about trust, love, forgiveness, and joy. I love it.

I’m kind of a sentimental junky.  The origins of this blog date back to the summer of 2005, when I was preparing to leave for my one-month study abroad program in Prague, followed by two weeks of traveling around Europe.  I love to hang onto bits and pieces that remind me of the good times of the past.  So if some of the pages here seem a bit long, it’s because I want to try and remember everything.  Not because I want to make you read it all.  But you are definitely welcome to.

I have been married to Brian since September 8, 2007, and I absolutely love being married to him. We are the two silliest people in the world – oh to be a fly on the wall during our silly and witty times. We need to start compiling a quote wall. It could win an award someday.

I was a two-time UCLA national championship gymnast until 2005, and now I am pursuing a career related to using movement, gymnastics, and play to aid the development of kids with special needs, especially as it relates to autism.  I studied Psychology (emphasis on Sport Psychology) and Education at UCLA, and I’ve worked with kids with special needs in San Diego (Carlsbad), Pasadena, and now Santa Barbara. I am an Occupational Therapist and absolutely love what I do. I have a separate blog devoted specifically to sharing tips and tricks learned from life as both a new mom and a new pediatric OT. It’s called Mama OT: Tips and tricks for those who care for children and can be found at www.MamaOT.com.

My mission statement in life is to glorify God by helping children reach the physical, emotional, and spiritual potential that He has given them. Nearly everything I am paid to do and that I volunteer to do revolves around that. And I am looking forward to the journey of faith that God calls me to as I move toward that destination. My life seems to be a series of events that call me to walk by faith in such a way that does not make sense to the world.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the one about Abraham and Isaac up on the mountain. You know? The one where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the son that he didn’t have until he was 100 years old, because his wife Sarah was barren? The one where Abraham obeys God out of faith, even when it doesn’t make any sense since God told him he would be the “father of many nations”? The one where God shows that He is faithful, and He will fulfill His promises when we obey? Yep, that one. I love that story. You can read about in Genesis 17-22.

God is faithful.

So, there you go. I hope you can stop by again some time.

Here is a montage of some of my favorite memories. Enjoy.

September 8, 2007. The day I married my best friend.

College roommates (Annie, Jackie) and me eating Funfetti cake with Rainbow Chip frosting just like we used to in our apartment at UCLA, except this time it’s at my wedding, and now we’re all married!

Me and my dad, dancing at my wedding. That was a great day.

Me and my mom before my wedding.  She means more to me than words can express.

We’re married! To see more of our wedding photos, click here for the official ones and here for the ones my friends took.

Some of my very favorite people in the whole world! These girls from my small group all made the 8 hour drive from Oceanside to Sacramento for the wedding, and they were all there throughout the transformation of my and Brian’s relationship.

This was one picture in a series of three that my younger sister, brother, and I gave to my parents for Christmas one year.  We love to be silly.

Me and Brian on our honeymoon to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. This picture was actually taken at a rooftop restaurant in front of the Grand Tetons in a town called Moose, Wyoming.

This picture amazes me because we each assumed the other was smiling like a normal person would when asked to pose for a picture, so we both tried to be “sneaky” and slip a silly face into the picture without the other person knowing. Needless to say, it became an instant Kiley classic.

This is me and my best friend from high school, Trisha, at my sister’s wedding in May 2007.

One thing I love about my husband is that he never ceases to make me laugh. Even when we’re trying to pose for the engagement photos that Alyssa DeGraff took for us in La Jolla.  To see more of the photos she took for us, click here.

The central coast (Big Sur). Love it.

First family photo after 48 hours of labor and a last-minute C-section. What. a. ride.

And now begins a whole new life…