Blessings...

We are immensely blessed. While we have been married for just over eight months, we feel like we are in a perpetual state of honeymoon! Life has certainly continued to whirl by, but we enjoy our precious moments of peace with one another...and of course, with those we love!

Here are a few other ways, in particular, we have been recently blessed:

Chris has been working a great deal on his dissertation proposal - and it looks like he will get his defense scheduled pretty soon! His topic is fascinating, the research is energizing, and we are so excited to watch it develop. Nelson Mandela has said, "education is the most powerful weapon, and you can use it to change the world." As Chris studies the function of higher education in developing countries as a mode of poverty reduction, we certainly agree...

Last week, we had the opportunity to watch two performances by the Spirit of Uganda, a group of 22 students from Uganda (aged 8-22 years) whose families have been directly impacted by AIDS. They travel and perform all over the world to raise awareness of children who have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Their joy and passion was exhilarating, their talent was phenomenal, and they truly touched our hearts. In fact, by the end of the day, we were ready to adopt Phyllis, a sprightly and spirited fourth grader...alas, in the brief moments we spent with her (Chris became one of her "new best friends,"), she touched our hearts... The group of students was true inspiration to live joyfully as a blessed child of God, despite the circumstances.

Friends Ashley and Nate Tucker form Arizona visited us this past weekend...while it was a short visit, it was wonderful to share an evening with them! Oh how I miss seeing Ashley every day!

Finally, I have recently finished and ordered our wedding album. The photos, some of which I have included here, serve as a constant reminder of the gift that God has granted us, in each other.





Here's to a blessed day!

Construction Zone

Chris likes tools. Big ones, at that. Among the big tools he owns, there is a miter saw, a miter saw table, a circular saw, a biscuit cutter (not the kind of biscuits you are thinking). Mind you, we do not have a garage, a patio, or any out-of-the-apartment storage space whatsoever. That being said, our office also functions as a tool shed. For months now (since he got the big tools, that is), Chris has been dying for a workspace. Somewhere where he can cut wood, build furniture, paint, etc.

Several days ago we unloaded a truck load of new and ridiculously cheap furniture (8 bookcases and a desk, to be exact) in our apartment. Long story short, we struck gold just as Bombay Company went bankrupt. Alas, some of the furniture required a bit of demolition, alteration, and paint to work in our apartment. In the mind of Chris: why wait for a garage or a patio when I have a perfectly good living room to work in?



That being said, Chris sawed and painted things in our living room. Afterwards, he vacuumed and dusted every inch.

I love my husband with every ounce of my being...and believe it or not, I find moments such as this to be entirely endearing!

Christmas and Beyond

While this was our third Christmas together, we have certainly decided that Christmas is even better when we are married! We spent most of our Christmas break in Texas with the Collins fam. While it was hard to be away from my family (first time for that, too), we had a great time.

It was wonderful to have quality family time, spend time with Ava (our precious 2 year old niece), and work on some projects. As a gift to Chris's mom and dad, the brothers installed over 150 feet of crown molding! One of our favorite moments was spent in Dallas at the Galleria with friends Shelly and Josh. For an afternoon, we joined dozens of kids out on the ice rink. I have always wanted to hold Chris's hand while ice skating! Thankfully, none of us fell...despite the kids that sped around us or tripped right in front of us!



A few days after we returned from Texas, I headed to Azusa Pacific for two more weeks of class. While spending every day in class was certainly exhausting, it was still enjoyable. I did not drive back and forth every day, as the commute is brutal. I was only able to come home for one night. Chris and I missed each other a lot (he seems to think that life is MUCH better when I am around!), but that made for an even sweeter homecoming!

Computer Games and Free Rice!

So, while we are up to our ears in work, homework, and various responsibilities and activities, Chris manages to find time to play those free games that come on the computer...we are talking games like Free Cell, Spider Solitaire, etc. There is also a great online favorite called Sewer Run. Oftentimes, I tease Chris for his enjoyment of these silly games.

Until today...

This afternoon, we stumbled onto a website called Free Rice: http://www.freerice.com/
Here is the shtick: Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free, while also helping to end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. I know what you are thinking..."What? A word game that provides rice for hungry people? You have got to be kidding me." At first, those were my sentiments exactly. Fortunately, upon further investigation, we had found Chris's dream game! For every word you guess correctly, Free Rice (through the UN) donates 10 grains of rice to poor countries around the world. It is challenging, fast paced, educational, AND it helps to reduce the number of people going hungry in our world today!

Now, you may be wondering...exactly HOW many grains of rice can be "won?" Well, the game has been in existence since October 7th of this year...and 3,993,119,57 grains of rice have been donated to poor countries. I am proud to say that this afternoon, my husband (with a little help from me) contributed 3,620 grains of rice...the product of 362 correctly-defined words. No how is THAT for the healthiest and most productive time waster ever!

Finally an update...

I can't believe it has been five months since we got married...my how time flies when you marry your best friend!! At this point, everything has been so hectic and busy, that I think back to our beautifully relaxing honeymoon in Thailand...and wonder where the time has gone. We have certainly enjoyed every moment of our new life together; and we have certainly kept busy!

Alas, my busy-ness has made me a rather poor blogger. In fact, my lovely husband has posed as myself for the last few blogs. I think he thought it would help me to get the ball rolling. So much for that plan! In an attempt to inform the three or so people who read this, here is our update.

I am ecstatic that travel season has finally ended! I used to love the feeling of arriving in a new city all by myself...I can remember Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, New York, Honolulu...there was something so romantic about exploring a city so independently. Well, now, I am so over it!

Earlier this month, we traveled to a higher ed conference in Kentucky together. Chris presented a few papers about higher education in developing countries. It was so fun to see him in his element...I am so proud of him! He made some great connections while we were there - in fact, he was just asked to write a book chapter. I am one step closer to being married to Dr. Chris Collins.

My own schooling has been exciting and busy all at the same time. I could (or should) be doing homework every night of the week! While the work is certainly time consuming, I absolutely love what I am studying. If anyone is interested, I have been working on a large project about minority enrollment at Christian universities.

Nevertheless, we have had a bit of time to ride our bikes down to Venice Beach, visit my brother in Riverside (he is a freshmen at CalBaptist), host my sister and her boyfriend as some of out first houseguests, and perfect our Thai recipes!

Expect more updates now...I promise!

Hawaii and Kiva

Well, we just returned from Hawaii again! It is rough having to go to this beautiful state two times a year for work. I flew out early and went to college fairs and school visits on Oahu. Then Chris and I met up in Maui. We ate lots of great food - mainly fish. On the first full day there I visited three schools while Chris golfed. Then we had a great experience there - we took a drive on the north end of the island where rental cars are not recommended to drive. It was a windy road hanging over cliffs and at times was only dirt and one lane. It provided some great views of the ocean, mountains, and even some giant waterfalls that we could only barely get a look at. The drive was so wonderful and the best hidden find that we had. The next couple of days were mostly relaxing at the beach and aside from a few bumps in the road it was a great trip. Although we enjoy traveling, it has been fantastic to be home.

On a completely different note we wanted to mention that we are often looking for ways to help those in need. There are many charitable organizations out there, but sometimes it is hard to determine the best programs to give to. In addition, we find it more difficult to give when there really isn't an opportunity to be involved. A friend of ours recommended this amazing website - www.kiva.org. The organization is essentially operating micro finance loans over the internet. You get to look at the business plans and profiles of entrepreneurs and then choose which ones and how much you would like to loan. You can even view our profile to see what we decided to lend to - http://www.kiva.org/lender/christopher3595. We highly recommend Kiva! If you have any questions about how to get involved, just let us know.

Three Months Married

Our wedding was so much fun! We can only hope that everyone else had as much fun as we did. It was a blessing to be surrounded by friends and family. It is hard to believe that we have been married for three months! We feel like the months have been pretty non-traditional given that Chris has been out of the country for about half of that time and had surgery since he has returned. However, we are having the time of our life and feel like the honeymoon keeps on going. We also got great pictures back from the wedding. You can view pictures from the wedding at this link: http://www.digitalstudios.org/clients/kristi_wedding/index.html

As a quick update, we went to Carmel for a few days after the wedding and the flew to Texas for another reception. After a day in California we flew to Thailand where we spent a few days on the beautiful island of Samui. The hotel was probably the best place we will ever stay as we had our own villa, pool, and ocean view! Pictures hardly do the place justice. Even though the extensive travels are over for now we love our apartment and life together. We have an extra bedroom and are happy to have visitors in California anytime!

Our Address!

We have had quite a few people ask us for our address...so we thought we would put it here! Chris lives here now - and Kristy will be moving in after the honeymoon.

24255 Pacific Coast Highway #187
Malibu, California 90263

And get ready...invitations will be in the mail soon!

Are you coming from far away?

If you are, then we have a few options for you!

Calabasas Country Inn & Suites
A block of rooms has been reserved for only $99 a night. This also includes a full breakfast and internet. For those of you that are not familiar with the area, it is surrounded by several restaurants, coffee shops, and a movie theatre. It is located about 20 minutes from Calamigos Ranch.

They are really nice - just ask for the Collins & Paredes room block!
(818) 222-5300


The Hampton Inn & Suites Agoura Hills
This is a lovely hotel located about 15 minutes from Calamigos Ranch.
818-597-3233

We hope this helps!

Kristy's Lovely Ladies

Julie Paredes – Maid of Honor, sister
Julie is much more than a sister and a friend – she is the one whom has known me the longest, seen my best and worst, and loved me all the same. Julie and I had a typical love-hate relationship when we were younger, and it has been wonderful to have her develop into a true best friend over the last several years. She is a homebody with a craving for adventure, and I can hardly wait to see what she will do with her life. She loves the Lord intensely, is fiercely protective of our family, and is always up for a good action movie. She just graduated from Pepperdine this year, and has recently started a new job at the State Capitol in Sacramento.

Ashley Tucker – Friend
From half a dozen countries in Europe, to Costa Rica, Israel, and Grand Cayman, Ashley and I have traveled the globe together. In addition to being one of the most fun people to travel with, live with, and laugh with, she is the best friend I could ask for. Ashley is someone whom continually inspires me, challenges me, and encourages me. She is such a passionate and beautiful woman of God whom truly practices what she believes. Honestly, I wish I could be more like her! Ashley and her witty husband Nathan live in downtown Phoenix, where she is a middle school math teacher in the inner city.

Megan Salios – Friend
I will never forget the first time I met Megan – I was a freshman at Pepperdine, and she was a prospective student hoping to transfer in the spring. I am certainly glad she ended up coming to Pepperdine, because I can’t imagine my life without her! Megan is one of the funniest girls I have ever known – I live for the moments when she is laughing, dancing, and singing all at the same time. I am constantly inspired by her honesty, her loyalty to her friends, her commitment to being real, and her pursuit of being a godly woman. Megan and I have lived together for almost two years, and I consider it a blessing to have shared this time with her!

Kellie Van Atta – Friend
Kellie is quite possibly the nicest and most genuine person on the planet. Her heart is precious, her spirit is beautiful, and her quirkiness is incredibly endearing. Kellie and I were in Heidelberg together, and we lived together for two years after we graduated from Pepperdine. She is eternally optimistic, obsessed with all-things English (she is a high school English teacher), and didn’t eat much more than cheese quesadillas and brie when we lived together! Time spent with Kellie is always encouraging, uplifting, and satisfying. She asks great questions, she radiates with the love of Christ, and she has a very talented husband named Scott.

Corrie Van Velzer – Friend
Few people have inspired me the way Corrie has. Though we graduated from Pepperdine the same year, we didn’t have an opportunity to truly connect until we worked in the Office of Admission together. We bonded quickly, and now, I know Corrie and I will be friends forever. She is spiritually in tune with God’s will for her life, her voice is beautiful, and her prayers are fervent. Corrie and her husband Chris are living in China right now – there, they are pursuing the Mandarin language and are excited to see where God will take them.


Bethany Cunningham – Friend
Bethany and I have known each other since I was 5 and she was 6. Back then, she didn’t like me because I was bossy. And just as I got less bossy as I grew older, our friendship flourished. We were the “best friends” any junior high and high school girl could hope for. We laughed at everything, talked about boys constantly, rode our bikes together, and survived some interesting years in school together. I am happy to say we are much better dressers now than we were way back then – but even better than that, it has been fun to see how we have grown up over the last 19 years. Now, Bethany and her husband Travis have a new addition to their family – her name is Savannah!

Janet McPherson - Friend
When Janet and Rich moved to Tennessee this last year, Chris and I were devastated. Not only would we miss one of our favorite couples to spend time with, Chris was losing his trusty golf partner and I was losing the best coffee date ever! In some ways, Janet and I are completely opposite – she remembers to do things, I don’t. Janet is neat and tidy, I am not. But in all the ways that matter, Janet and I are perfect together. She always offers a great perspective about things, her heart is genuinely sincere, and she makes me laugh. There is no doubt in my mind that the four of us will be friends forever! Oh yes – Janet will be wrapping up her dissertation for her PhD from UCSB shortly!

The Men Who Will Stand By Chris

Jeremy Johnson – Best Man
Otherwise known as Jim, he has been a great friend ever since we met during our first year of school at Pepperdine. He is a musical genius and married a woman way out of his league. Jim has always been the guy who let me borrow his car (when I did not have one), listen to all my problems, and invade my life with hours of pounding out arrangements on the piano. He is a partner in a consulting group called Wave Strategies.

Terry Collins – Older Brother
The last time Terry and I spent time together was a few months ago on a fishing boat out in the Pacific. We didn’t catch anything and the kid next to us kept yakking, but we had a good time. Terry is currently in Iraq and is set to return in April. He is a talented individual and a great brother. Please pray for his safe return.

Andrew Collins – Younger Brother
As a technical genius, a husband, and a Dad, he is truly a multi-tasker. It is amazing to release your younger brothers from the age at which you left them (16 in this case) and watch the amazing men they become. He is a wonderful man and a leader at his church, and someone I enjoy being around and calling my brother.

Nathan Collins – Youngest Brother
This one is currently at Oklahoma Christian University plowing away at a degree in Youth Ministry and spends long hours listening intently to his pillow. Last summer he served as a youth intern for a church in Bartlesville, OK and instantly showed his talent and diligence for working with young church goers. The world is his oyster and it will be exciting to see how he changes it.

Peter Wilson – Friend
Peter has more nicknames than anyone I know. I will just call him P. Diddy to keep it socially acceptable here on the world wide web. Peter is an amazing friend. We worked together at Pepperdine in the Convocation Office, trying to change the minds of young students without going insane ourselves. Peter is also getting married to a wonderful woman this summer. He is a worship minister in Sonoma, CA.

Chris Welch – Friend
C-Dub is a friend who is an open, accepting, caring, and crazy individual. During college we had so much fun going to the beach, getting in trouble in statistics class, and driving our apartment neighbors crazy with the thirteen speakers we had hooked up to the stereo. Chris graduated with his M.A. in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine and is working as a partner in a conflict resolution group.

Rich McPherson – Friend
Rich is a fantastic gentleman that I met through his wife Janet (Lowry) McPherson. Kristy and I know these two will be lifelong friends no matter where we are. Rich and I were golfing one day at Westlake and I told him about my plans to ask Kristy’s parents for their guidance and prayer in asking her to marry me. It was a wonderful talk that I will never forget. Before we left the parking lot he said, “hey let’s say a prayer before we go.” I certainly needed that one. Rich is studying to go to law school next year.

Registries

To be honest, your presence is one of the most important elements of this special day - it means so much more to us than a silly present! Please feel no pressure to give us anything other than your love and support. That is the gift that will truly last a lifetime.

However, to help those who would appreciate some direction, please refer to our gift registries:

Bed Bath & Beyond

Williams Sonoma

Home Depot *please note this registry is only available online*

As God has already blessed us with so much, we think it would be rewarding for you to bless someone who needs care more than we do. If you feel called, we would love for you to adopt an underprivileged child through an incredible organization called Compassion International, in lieu of giving us gift. As it involves a monthly committment of $32, we realize this may not be an option for everyone - but we wanted to present you with the opportunity to bless the life of a child who is in need of much more than we can ever imagine.

Location, Location, Location!

As we can't get enough of Malibu, we decided to get married at Calamigos Ranch - a lovely venue tucked back in one of the area's many canyons. The ceremony will take place outside; and as it will be summertime, the sun will probably be shining brightly!
Here are the directions:

From Los Angeles:
1 Ventura Freeway (101) West to Agoura Hills.
2 Left on Kanan road, go South for 6 miles, through 2 tunnels.
3 Right on Mulholland Highway, go 1/4 of a mile.
4 Left on Calamigos Road, follow signs to parking area.
From Pacific Coast Highway:
1 Pacific Coast Highway West past Paradise Cove.
2 Right on Kanan-Dume Road, go North 6 miles.
3 Left on Mulholland Highway, go 1/4 of a mile.
4 Left on Calamigos Road, follow signs to parking area.

More than just a Big Day!

On June 15th, 2007, we are getting married! As we begin to embark on our new journey together, we hope to keep you informed on everything you need to know about our big day - from hotels in the area to the wedding location.

We are so excited to share this experience with you...and we appreciate your advice, prayers, and support in this new and exciting time in our life! We know that the wedding day is just the beginning - and while we are excited for that day, we are even more excited for our future together...the possibilities are endless! We hope God continues to teach us how to serve him, others, and one another in all we do.