Nespers in Action

A New Season(s)...

2010-08-19T15:27:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, two of my best friends have moved away in the last month. Charity to Redwood City and April to San Jose. While my heart still mourns the season of friendship that has passed, I am overjoyed at the expectation of what's to come for each of them in their new place. In a way this is a tribute because my life was forever changed when I met these girls almost 6 years ago. Right after moving here I joined Lori Thompson's career women's Bible study and first met April. After I got married and returned from my honeymoon, I met Charity. I have a terrible memory, so I don't remember a whole lot about our getting to know each other, but I do have a ton of other sweet memories with Charity and April. From random dinner nights with the Nesper's and the Shell Shack girls, to hikes along the ridge, mornings at Steaming Bean, movie nights that April loved and Charity often protested and sometimes just plain said "no" to, afternoons on the deck- the list goes on. Along the way, Charity and I started our own women's Bible study, April found her true calling and became a teacher, and Charity completed her master's at Cal Poly. We said good bye to one of the original Shell Shackers- Devon- and they welcomed a new one- Heather- in a step of faith to post the need for a roommate on Craig's list. Through all of these things, we have prayed, study God's word and seen the Lord work. We have seen his provision and faithfulness. I am so thankful that I am blessed with such awesome, amazing, loyal, fun, silly, friends who love the Lord and are seeking after him. It has been a true joy to live life on the Central Coast with you girls. I know that God has called you and that he has great things for you in this new season. And I also know that, although our friendship will change, we will remain friends through this season and the next, and the next, and the next.....

The New Nesper Casa

2010-02-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

I know that this blog has been horribly neglected...and I don't plan on making any promises about keeping it up to date from now on etc, etc. However, I do have a photo update of the house- mainly motivated by the fact that I couldn't send such large photo files to family and friends via e-mail...so I figured the blog was the best way to display the most photos. If anyone still reads this, I will admit that I have one more post in the queue. After that, there are no guarantees.

I want to give another shout out to all of amazing friends and family who helped us put this place together. Seriously, we are blessed by each and every one of you. We couldn't have done it without you!

Backyard

Kitchen

Downstairs

Office/Reading Room

Our Room

Guest Bedroom

Dining Room

Downstairs again

Front

You Know You're in Canada When...

2009-08-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you know, Aaron and I went to Canada for four days with our good friends Ryan and Terilee Ouimette. We went to Calgary, Alberta where Terilee is originally from and stayed with her parents while exploring the city as well as Banff and Lake Louise. The last 3 pictures are from Banff and Lake Louise (which are in the Canadian Rockies). While we were traveling around with Terilee and family, we started a running joke about certain things that let you know that you are for sure in Canada. This became known as the "You know you're in Canada when..." series. Although we have several photos on Facebook, I thought this series would be more fun for the blogging world. So, here it goes.....

You know you're in Canada when....

You see an "I Love Alberta Beef" bumper sticker or magnet.

You see this cute license plate in the mall.

There is a Saskatoon berry bush for Terilee to eat from.
(They're kind of like blueberries, but smaller and a bit more tart.)

You're at Peter's Drive In enjoying a hamburger and one of their hundreds of flavors of milk shake.

You're having a beer at Terilee's old hang out- the Ship and Anchor Pub in downtown Calgary.

The weather turns on you in an instant as a storm races across the landscape.
(Notice the dark sky on the left contrasted by the blue on the right.)

You see Canadian Geese.

The water is an unbelievable crystal-clear blue-green.

You're hanging out with Terilee and her wonderful parents, Peter and Susan Thiessen.

You're at Lake Louise with Terilee and Ryan.

So, for those of you that don't Facebook (as well as those of you who do both) that concludes our "You Know You're in Canada When..." series.

Many questions, few answers

2009-01-27T12:38:00.000-08:00

So I've been thinking lately- as I'm sure most of you have- about money and possessions. I know it's not a popular topic and actually quite taboo in most cases, however, with all this economy talk it's caused me to really start thinking. Why are there so many people- Christians included- who still have cars, houses, and jobs that are freaking out about tomorrow? I mean, Matthew 6:33-34 says "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Why do we find so much comfort in the things that we have, rather than finding comfort in the one who gave these things to us? I think part of the problem is that we often have a miss-guided perception of what we need. I am guilty of this for sure. I think we take God's promise to give us what we need and define what we need according to the lifestyle that we want to live. And when we can't maintain a certain lifestyle, then we get mad at God for not giving us what we think we need. I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I know that Aaron and I are in a stage of life where we are very blessed and I feel a great responsibility and burden to use that blessing to glorify God. See, I don't want to be that person that says "as long as I have x, y, and z, and can afford to do x, y, and z, then I'll be generous and give back to God." I want to be the person that says " Ok God, this is all from you and belongs to you, now show me how to be a good steward of the money, time, and talents that you have given me." In 2 Corinthians 8:2-3,7 Paul writes "2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. 7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving." Maybe this time of economic uncertainty is a chance for Christians to live these verses out. Or maybe America is simply being stripped of some of it's idols and false gods. Things that have replaced the true, living God as the object of worship. Or maybe God wants to remind us that we need him more than anything else. Maybe it's al of the above. I leave you with a question from Mark Driscoll: why do we spend money we don't have, on things we don't need, to impress people we don't even like?

Long Overdue

2009-01-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't know if anyone still reads this blog because it has been ages since it was updated, but I decided to post anyway. Ever since the creation of the Sara Aaron Nesper Facebook account, this blog has become even more neglected than it was before. So what have we been up to the past few months anyway you ask? Well, we went back east to Washington, D.C. and New Jersey for a week in November. We spent 3 days bundled up exploring the city of D.C. in 35-45 degree weather and got a special tour of the Capitol Building from a guy who has been an aide in the Senate for 20 plus years. That was defnitely the highlight of our trip as he was so knowledgeable about everything and was able to take us to so many different parts of the building. We spent Thanksgiving in New Jersey with my many aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin's kids. It was great to see everyone!
One of the highlights for December was the completion of the 4 Habitat for Humanity homes that our church sponsored and helped build up in Atascadero. Aaron and I attended the dedication ceremony and it was really amazing to see how excited the four families were about getting their very own home. They were each presented with the keys, garage door opener, and Bible for their new home.
January 1st marked the beginning of 2009 as well as four wonderful years of marriage for Aaron and I. Well, I can at least speak for myself, wink wink. New Year's eve was spent karaokeing at Bill's Place in AG with great friends and then our anniversary was spent hiking, lunching at our favorite Thai place in Baywood park, and hanging out. I believe the chant, "four more years, four more years!" comes to mind thanks to some of our most silly friends.

Aaron helping put in the driveway at the Habitat 4 Humanity site.

There was a huge turn out at the dedication ceremony, which was awesome. There were about 2 times as many people as originally expected.

Presentation of the Bibles.

List of sponsor churches.

Ribbon cutting for the Fergoso family.

The ladies on New Year's eve.

Group shot on New Year's eve.

Classic Nesper craziness. What can I say?

Running in the Rain....and biking, and swimming

2008-10-07T12:59:00.001-07:00

So, Saturday morning I completed my 3rd triathlon. I NEVER thought I would be able to say that, but it's true, 2 SLO Triathlon's and one Scott Tinley's Adventure @ Lake Lopez down and hopefully several more to come. However, Saturday's race was a whole different kettle of fish than the SLO Tri. To name a few:
The swim took place in a lake, not a pool.
Swim in a lake=LOTS of people run into the water at once.
Because of the above, you feel almost completely blind in the water, have people swimming over you, kicking you, and there's no wall to kick off of.
I wore a wetsuit and had to change clothes after the swim rather than wear the same thing for the entire race. Not to mention putting wet shoes and socks on in the rain.
Yes, I said RAINING. It was raining the whole time.

All in all, it was loads of fun and I would totally do it again.

I'm seriously considering asking for my very own road bike for a combined Christmas/birthday present. I'll have to give my bike-on-loan back next spring (thanks again to Jaime Lewis), so I'm thinking the timing would be perfect. We'll see though.

Most importantly, my beloved husband deserves an award because he was there standing in the rain, cheering for me the entire time and giving me high fives in between each event. He's the best!

Our New Ride

2008-09-10T08:33:00.001-07:00

So this is our new set of wheels. The Nesper family finally decided to take the plunge and buy a new car. So far, after less than 24 hours of ownership- we love it! This is our first major purchase together after 3 years, 8 months of marriage. I'll post a picture of our actual car soon.

Continued...

2008-08-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Omaha, our really good family friend, Frank, got married after having been widowed 5 years ago. It was pretty cool to see how happy he is again. That's Frank in the middle, my dad is on the left, and their friend of 26 years, Jim, on the right.Me and Dad

Frank's son Keith, my bro Anthony, Jim's daughter Jaime, and me. I've known them all my entire life.

Two weeks after the wedding I did the SLO Triathlon for a second time. I had been training since May and really wanted to improve my time from last year significantly. My goal was to get under 2 hours, but I was 5 minutes short. I was excited anyway because I improved my time from last year by 16 minutes, so that was cool.

Me in anticipation of that dude saying "3...2...1...go!"

Unlike most other triathlons, the swimming is in Sinsheimer Pool, so it's much better than the usual ocean or lake. That's one of the great things about this triathlon- no dirty water or wetsuits!

Just finishing the bike and on to the final leg of the race- the dreaded run up the hill on Johnson. Thank you Jaime Lewis for letting me borrow your bike!

Coming into the final homestretch. Only a few yards to go.

My mom came up to watch me race. The best part was, she bought me a 10-minute massage from the massage booth that was set up just next to the finish line. It was the best massage EVER and the lady gave me more than my 10 minutes worth.

The next question is: do I want to train for another triathlon at Lake Lopez on October 5th? Tempting. Although, I would have to swim in the lake. Which means murky water and possibly borrowing a wet suit. We'll see.

The Past Few Months

2008-08-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

I obviously have not been keeping up with the blog world, so I'm settling for one big overview post. We've been quite busy at the Nesper casa the past few months: including a trip to Omaha, a triathlon, and a class at Cal Poly.
Fourth of July weekend Aaron and I went with the Taylor's (Mark and Laura) to visit our friends, the Nelson's (Ben, Ariana, and their dog Delilah), in Omaha. They moved there in November and have a BEAUTIFUL house on the west side of Omaha. We spent the 4th of July tailgating and then watching a minor league baseball game followed by some incredible fireworks....
The next day we ventured to the botanical gardens, which had unfortunately just been devastated by a tonado with 100 mph winds. But we still had fun...

Aaron and I strolling the gardens

The Girls at the Gardens

Enjoying the kids section. Mark and Laura's camera had this cool color filter setting so you could tell the camera to filter out all colors except for yellow.

We had dinner in downtown Omaha one night and then made a wonderful at the Nelson's on the last night. Aaron and I expected Omaha to be flat and brown with flowing golden wheat fields like Kansas, but we were pleasantly surprised. Omaha turned out to be very green with rolling hills and was quite fun.

Ok, time to get back to work. The rest will come later.

God Grew Tired of Us

2008-08-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

Last night, at our married couples study, we had the privilege of spending our last evening with Andrea, Vincent, and Caetlyn Ouwer before they leave for Pennsylvania. We were blessed with the Ouwers' friendliness, insight, and humor the last few months as they have been preparing to go back east to complete flight school. Andrea and Vincent met in Kenya and have recently had a daughter, Caetlyn. The evening started with some amazing Kenyan food (prepared by Vincent himself) consisting of a corn based substance which you are supposed to mold into a spoon-like object and eat the vegetable and meat dishes. It was SOOO good! I highly recommend you trying some if you ever get the chance.

After dinner we watched the movie "God Grew Tired of Us" on the big screen in order to get a better understanding of what life is like in Kenya and the neighboring parts of Africa. The movie was excellent. If you get a chance please rent it. It is sobering, funny, serious, and light-hearted in different stages. After watching Sara and I had the chance to speak with Vincent about how he relates to what was on the movie. In short, he said the movie is extremely accurate in terms of historical accuracy, current conditions, and the culture shock of Africans coming to America. All in all I think God is trying to speak to us all using this movie. If you get a chance watch it then comment on this blog...I'd love to hear what you think!

Sea Otters

2008-06-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

So this whole post may not be about Sea Otters, but I wanted to title it that just because I love them so much and I got to see them this past weekend. Rewinding just a bit, this past weekend Aaron and I went to visit our friends Garret and Karen in Pacific Grove (next to Monterey for those who don't know). We have been meaning to get up there for quite some time and we finally made it. It was a wonderful weekend with a wonderful couple(unfortunately I have no photo to insert here). They were such great hosts, took us all around town, and even made us dinner on Friday night. Saturday we went down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is where the Sea Otters come in. There is, of course, a large Sea Otter exhibit at the aquarium featuring these furry friends:

My other favorite part of aquarium is the jelly exhibit- which they call "Living Art"-and they have special colored lights so you can really see the details. It's really amazing.

After the aquarium, Saturday evening consisted of watching a not-so-good movie and going to dinner at one of Karen's favorite restaurants- The Red House Cafe. Sunday we went to church at Calvary Monterey Bay and got to see what their little corner of Calvary is all about. All in all it was a great time with the Tomforde's. We finished out the weekend with a lovely drive back down highway 1 with the ocean always in sight.

Girl's Weekend!!

2008-05-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is a tad late, but the weekend before last I got to spend some quality time at a cabin in the redwoods with some amazing women. These are the ladies from the original career women's Bible study that Lori Thompson and roomies (Kristal and Jen) started almost 4 years ago. I joined this study right when I moved to San Luis Obispo and was so so blessed by it. That study is where I met my closest friends and continue to be in ministry with some of the ladies from that study to this day. Although life has taken us through 4 weddings, one baby, two on the way, a couple of re-locations out of SLO, and a few career changes, we all manage to support and encourage one another in our relationships with the Lord. It's such a blessing to have friends like this! Here are few photos from a wonderful weekend with wonderful friends.

Me and April on the hiking trail.
Jen atop a huge Redwood stump. These trees are so amazing.Left to right: Lori, Charity, me, Devon, Katie, Kristal, Jen, and April
Time to get silly!

Travel Plans

2008-05-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

As summer is fast approaching- and being married to a teacher who has 2 months of free time- we're starting to nail down some travel plans. First, we'll be going to see the Tomforde's- Garret and Karen- in Monterey. I mean, it's only taken us a year and a half to make it up for a visit. Then, over July 4th weekend, we'll be flying out to Omaha, NE with the Taylor's- Mark and Laura- to visit mutual friends- Ben and Ariana Nelson. I hear the Nelson's have a sweeeeetttt house out there and I'm gonna try to not want to move there just for the housing prices. Although I might be slightly tempted. Lastly, (at least for now) we're going to New Jersey to visit my relatives at Thanksgiving. I know that doesn't fall into summer, but it still counts. My cousin's wife just gave birth to twin girls, Ava and Breanne, so we'll get to meet the new babies. Yeah!! We're also planning a two-night jaunt down to Washington, DC while we're there so that should be fun. Other than that- on top of 2 weddings and a triathlon in July- we'll be livin' it up on the Central Coast =)

God's Creativity

2008-04-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

This may be considered a random post after six weeks of silence, but oh well. I'm sure many of you have seen at least part of the BBC series "Planet Earth" or, at minimum, heard someone raving about how cool it is. Well, last week I spent two nights being enthralled with the "Deserts" and "Seasonal Forests" sections. I think Aaron gets more entertainment out of my remarks- such as, "Oooo, I want one of those" or "Whoa! That's so cool!" or "Oh my gosh, that's just wrong"- than he does out of the actual video. I mean, deserts that don't get rainfall for 50 years, yes I said 50 years, and exist only because they get intense fog that creates enough moisture in the air for cacti, birds, etc. to live. Or, South African Flat Lizards that turn their bellies to the side, displaying a colorful rainbow on their underside (view the clip here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sWS6WUxvjw). Being that I went to college in the desert surrounded by cacti, I'll leave you with a few pics of the Saguaro cactus. Notice how tiny the man looks.

25 years old, physical therapy, and lentils

2008-03-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I've reached the quarter-century marker in terms of age, gone to my first physical therapy session, and cooked something with lentils for the first time. As most of you know, my wonderful Shell Shack friends threw Tanya and I a wine, cheese, and Wii birthday party. Nothing like playing tennis with a glass of Pinot Noir in your hand.
As for physical therapy, my first session (for my neck- see previous post) was on Friday and have 3 more scheduled for this week. During my evaluation, the guy told me "Wow, you're REALLY stiff in your upper back. Especially for your age." I wasn't sure how to take that other than to think that maybe I should learn some exercises to combat that so that I don't need neck surgery by the time I'm 35. For 2 days I've been faithful to complete the assigned exercises each day and am feeling better. Hopefully it only continues to get better from here.
Since I haven't been able to spend much time at the gym lately, I've been exploring some new and exciting recipes from the likes of Gourmet magazine and my never-been-used slow cooker recipe book. Last week I made Salmon with lentils and tarragon butter. It was different, but good. Simmering in the crock pot as I write this is a beef Burgundy stew. Fairly standard, but hopefully tasty. I've been instructed by Aaron to help him put back on the weight that he's lost in the last few months. I'm trying to take my job seriously so next on the list is a recipe that I found for mint brownies. They look delicious!

The Last Month at the Nesper Casa

2008-02-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

So, I officially went the whole month of February without a post. In case anyone's been checking our blog periodically and leaving our site with a huge sigh of "ugh, why did I waste 5 seconds going to their blog, when they haven't posted in weeks!". The month of February brought us many visitors. First, Super Bowl weekend brought many of Aaron's old college friend's back into town, including the Tomforde's who were put up at the Nesper motel. I always have fun hanging with the Tomforde's!
Next, we had the Shanahan-family invasion when my parents, brother, and my dad's two sisters and their husbands came to visit. My aunt Kathy and Chuck came out from New Jersey and my aunt Lorraine and uncle Terry came down from Santa Rosa. It was really fun to show the family around town and try and give them a small taste of the wonderful central coast. Mom prepared a delicious meal of manicottis (which I ALWAYS love), we visited the winery of course, went to dinner at Novo, and explored Morro Bay. It was great.
Just this last weekend, Aaron's parents came to visit and we were treated to Tahoe Joe's for dinner on Friday. During a Saturday morning walk on the beach we found tons and tons of cool little shells on the beach that look kind of like this one:
Denise and I made chicken curry from scratch on Saturday and then we went to Old Vienna for a beer. Sunday included church and then a trip up to San Simeon to see the last of the Elephant Seals before they all head out.
Other than the fun of visitors, the sad news is that I've been having a lot of pain in my neck and don't think that I'll be able to do the half marathon that I was training for. The doctor thinks I have inflammation and/or muscle spasms, but we'll see what he says at my follow-up next week. I'm REALLY, REALLY bummed about the half marathon, but at this point I just want to be able to ride the bike at the gym without pain.

I don't really know what this is about...

2008-01-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been avoiding a post for quite some time now because I didn't really know what to write about. So I just decided to start writing and see what came to mind. First of all, work is kind of insane right now and I needed a mental break. All of this end-of-the-year accounting stuff piles up real quick. Outside of work I've been trying to keep up with my half-marathon training which has been a struggle this past week or two. I still have over 11 weeks to go so I think I'll be ok as long as I get back on track SOON. I'm happy to say that our friend, Megan, from San Diego has decided to commit to this insanity as well. I'm really excited to have someone else that will be enduring with me. I'm working on another local friend- you know who you are and you'll probably read this at some point- to join me as well. In other news, Aaron played his first basketball game of the season last night. I won't mention the outcome. Suffice it to say, at least they had fun...right? I certainly had fun because, as many of you know, I LOVE basketball. It reminds me that one of my life goals is to coach a girls basketball team. Maybe 5th or 6th grade. High schoolers are bigger than me. I warned it would be random so I hope I didn't disappoint. I'll try to write again soon.

PS This happened about 2 years ago here in Shell Beach and feels like it could happen again. Lord, please send us snow. It's SOOO FUN!!

Photos to go with the previous post

2008-01-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

Mark and Aaron hiking through the trees.

House we stayed at in Lake Arrowhead.

The shattered passenger window.

This is what one little tire did.

Half Moon Bay.

Beach near our hotel in Half Moon Bay.

The Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay.

View from our room. We had a cool gas fireplace outside.

Half Moon Bay walk.

Post-holiday Update

2008-01-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I wanted to make this post when I was at home and had access to my pictures, but oh well. I always seem to think about posting when I'm at work, not at home. Anyway...Aaron and I had a great holiday and anniversary celebration. We've been married for 3 years now, whoo hoo!! The weekend before Christmas Aaron and I went up to the Ritz in Half Moon Bay for two nights. We were able to get the employee room rate through a friend. Thanks Mulders! It was really pretty up there and the hotel is on cliff overlooking the ocean. I'll try to add pictures tonight.
On Christmas day we did a quick down and back trip to Aaron's grandma's house in Camarillo. Aaron was very excited to get a Nintendo Wii for Christmas and I am greatly enjoying working out with my new iPod nano. It was nice to see all the relatives and family whom we haven't seen for a while.
The weekend before New Year's we went down to Orange County and had Christmas with my parents. Saturday night we went out to dinner with my parent's, Aaron's parents, my brother, and Aaron's brother and his girlfriend. It was fun to all go out and hang out together. For New Year's we went up to a friend's parent's house in Lake Arrowhead. However, on the way there we had a minor accident. We had a little run in with a bouncing, speeding tire that jumped the median and Aaron had to swerve so it wouldn't hit us head on. But when you're going 70 miles an hour, you can only move so fast. The tire managed to graze the right side of the car, knocking the side-view mirror completely off and shattering the front passenger window. Thankfully, the window didn't actually break all the way so we were able to put tape on it and pray that it didn't cave in on the ride home. The tire hit a porsche right after us and that car was in much worse shape. It hit their windshield head on and glass actually came in on the passenger. Thankfully, the guy wasn't cut or hurt. This one is definitely worth a visual, so I'll post that tonight as well. We are just really thankful that no one was hurt and that Aaron is still on winter break while his car is being repaired.

Once

2007-12-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I watched a movie called Once two nights ago and we both loved it. The website describes it as "a modern day musical set on the streets of Dublin. Featuring Glen Hansard from the Irish band "The Frames," the film tells the story of a street musician and a Czech immigrant during an eventful week as they write, rehearse and record songs that reveal their unique love story." Let's just say that we went out and bought the soundtrack the next day. The woman's name is Marketa Irglova and she sings and plays the piano- which I love. It was especially fun because Aaron and I went to Dublin last summer so we recognized many of the places in the film. Check out this link http://www.oncesoundtrack.com/ for samples of the music and this one http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/ for info about the movie. Anyway, kind of a random post, but I'm currently listening to the CD so I thought I'd write some thoughts on it.

I'm Back....

2007-11-30T22:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I have no good excuse as so why it's taken me 6 weeks to post. It was like every time I thought about posting, I didn't think I had anything worth writing. Whether or not I have anything good to say this time is up for debate, but either way, here I am. Life kind of got the better of me the past several weeks and I got caught up in the storm of busyness and the approaching holiday season. A few highlights from the past few weeks:

Travis and Laura's wedding - On November 17th, our friend Laura(aka LT) got married at a beautiful winery up in San Miguel. Their story is amazing because last summer Laura was leaving to teach English in China for a year. She was distraught because she knew God had called her their, but she was worried about finding her husband and thought she would have to wait at least another year to meet him. Turns out that God had different plans and Laura met Travis just before she left for China. I guess you could say that the rest is history because they are married and living in San Diego. We are so happy for them and thankful that God brought them together.

Visiting with old friends - A couple of weeks ago we went to visit our friends Joe and Holly Pluim up in Sonora. Our other friends, Ben and Arianna, also came up from Freemont to visit. It was a really fun time to hang out with everyone, especially since we probably won't be seeing Ben and Arianna for a while because they just moved to Omaha, NE on Tuesday.

Thanksgiving - Aaron and I went down to Orange county to visit our families and friends for the weekend. It's awesome because we now have a lot of holidays with both Aaron's and my family, along with our good friends Kathy, Adam, and Rachel. I feel so blessed that we don't always have to split holidays like most couples do.

Looking ahead - As of this coming Wednesday morning I will officially be finished with my intermediate accounting course. It will definitely be a relief to get rid of the nagging voice in my head saying "I really should be studying right now instead of....fill in the blank." I thought I was through with that when I graduated from college, but for some reason I came back for more school pain. Again, what was I thinking? However, once this whole school thing is over, I think I've found my next physical challenge: a half-marathon. Yup, that's right, I think I'm gonna attempt to tackle the feat of running 13.1 miles. I'm looking at April 13th in Paso Robles wine country and thinking, well, it would be a pretty run, but man that's a long way for me to run. I've never run farther than 4 miles, so I think it'll be a decent challenge. Until next time...

Community and The Church

2007-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

So, I've been thinking a lot over the past few months about how thankful I am for our community and our church here in SLO. Aaron and I are so blessed by the support and encouragement of our friends and church family. I have to admit, when I moved here three years ago I was a little skeptical about Calvary SLO(Bryan, if you're reading this you can skip this part j/k). Not because I thought it was a bad church, but because it was so contemporary and different from the churches that I had gone to growing up. I have to say, that Calvary SLO- a small freckle on the body of Christ- has stolen my heart and I really love and appreciate it. I truly miss going to church when I am out of town. I miss the fellowship, worship, and receiving of the Word. But, this post is not entirely about how great Calvary SLO is. I've been thinking too, how cool it is to be part of the Church. Not MY church, but the all-encompassing church that reaches to the ends of the earth and has so many different looks and styles- all of which are pleasing to God. I don't think God cares what the church building looks like, but rather what his people look like from the inside out. Thank you Lord for The Church as well as my church.

The Fisher's of Men are no longer fishing for a win

2007-10-02T10:23:00.001-07:00

Once again, I have not kept up with weekly posts. Either I need to step it up or lower the standards...let's see...option two seems much easier, but kind of like a cop out. At any rate, I'm back and happy to announce that the Calvary men's softball team (the Fisher's of Men) has officially won it's first game with a 7-5 victory on Monday night. I think the guys are finally figuring out how to handle the arched slow pitch and not fly out so much. Not an easy task if you're used to hitting a baseball coming at you fairly straight and at 60-90 miles an hour. I have to admit, when they had the lead in last inning I was a bit nervous because the week before we had the lead....and blew it. This week's game was extra special because our couple's Bible study organized a pre-game tailgate party and stuck around to cheer the team on after dinner. We were really blessed by their support. A big shout out to all you guys who came out and weathered the chilly weather to help spur the guys on to their first victory! It was really great to see everyone- especially since we've missed you these past few weeks.
The seemingly steady stream of visitors continued last weekend with a much-anticipated visit from my parents. A weekend full of good food, watching football, playing Scrabble, and indulging in a Starbuck's vanilla latte- what more could we ask for? I'm hoping that my friend Lizzie and this little cutie will be coming up in the next few weeks. I haven't seen little Emma Mae in SO long and she's getting bigger by the day. For more adorable photos of her, check out the Mulder family blog in my friends and family section to the right.

2 wins, 1 loss, and a bunch of cheaters

2007-09-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently I've misplaced that necessary little converter/adapter thing that allows you to put photos on your computer. I was putting off posting because I wanted the pictures that are currently stuck on our camera. Anyway, the weekend before last we ventured up to Fremont(in the bay area) to visit with the Nelsons- Ben and Ariana- and with the Pluims- Joe and Holly. Joe and Holly live in Sonora so they came down and we came up and all converged at the Nelsons. Friday night after we arrived we went to play miniature golf and I just have to say that for not having played in at least a year, 2 hole-in-ones ain't bad. Saturday we went to San Francisco to catch a Giants vs. Dodgers game. This rivalry is always fun and there were plenty of fellow Dodger fans to enjoy the win over the Giants, 6-2. That night we made dinner and played a hilarious round of the game "Loaded Questions".

This past weekend my brother and his girlfriend Jill came up to visit. Jill had never been to San Luis Obispo so we had fun showing her Pismo Beach, downtown SLO, CalPoly and all our favorite restaurants such as Firestone and Splash Cafe. Of course both Saturday and Sunday included some sort of football- namely USC crushing Nebraska as they tend to do and the Chargers suffering an embarrassing defeat to the Patriots. Darned cheaters stole our secrets!

Other than that, I'm officially back in school as of yesterday. I'll be taking an accounting class at Cal Poly for the next 10 weeks and no need to stress, I've already been assigned the first project due next Friday. What was I thinking?

Sparkling Wine Making

2007-09-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, harvest is officially here at Laetitia and things have been getting quite busy. The first grapes we harvest are the ones for making the sparkling wine because you don't want the sugars to be as high as for still wine. Laetitia has the only Coquard presses in North America. They are from France and are specifically for making sparkling wine(champagne in France) in the traditional method. In this first picture, you can see the grapes in the basket ready to be pressed. The wooden flaps fold down and the press is hydraulic so slowly presses down on the grapes and stops when it reaches a certain pressure level so as not to over-crush the grapes I guess you could say.

This next picture shows our sparkling wine maker, Dave Hickey, getting some juice out to taste test. As the press comes down on the grapes the juice comes out and is pumped into tanks. The orangeish-yellow stuff in the tube is the grape juice.

I thought this last picture was funny with the visitors trying to get a better look at the process and sticking their cameras through the window to get a better photo. If you've ever been to Laetitia, you've probably seen the press room, which is attached to the tasting room. For most of the year the public is allowed in the press room to check out the presses and view the display that goes along with them. However, during harvest visitors come to see the presses in action, but aren't allowed to actually go into the press room.Lastly, here's me in the press with the grapes and all. I know the picture came out a little dark, but I'm standing on Pinot Noir grapes that are about to be pressed.

Ok, ok, I've been slacking

2007-09-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

So it took Adam's comment about my lack of posting to get me back in gear. I seriously did not realize that it had been 2 weeks since I last posted. Yikes!

Well, the three-day weekend was great, although Sunday it 105 at the beach. Yes I said 105. I mean, I know it's only one day of heat we have to deal with, but that's crazy. What's even more crazy is that Aaron and I went to a concert called Pops by the Sea and were sitting outside in the heat for a few hours- what were we thinking? I do have to say though that the chilled Rose I was drinking helped to keep me cool. Monday was a beach day and BBQ at our house to celebrate our friend Christion's birthday. Thankfully it was about 20 degrees cooler than the day before. Friday night we went to the first high school football game I've been to since I was in high school. We watched the Righetti Warriors beat their cross-town rivals the Pioneer Valley Panthers in OT. I had forgotten how much fun those games can be and Aaron and I even have matching Righetti shirts to wear to the next game. I know, I know, we're dorks.

On a different note, I'm reading this really amazing book called Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger. At the age of 20 she boards a ship with the intention of getting off wherever God tells her to get off. She disembarks in Hong Kong and God leads her to Hong Kong's infamous Walled City (although I had never heard of it before) where she basically tells prostitutes, drug lords, gang leaders, and heroin addicts about Jesus. She has a very simple, yet profound way of presenting the gospel to the people there and spends years ministering to them and raising them up in their faith. It's such a great reminder of Jesus' power and has really been challenging me with the question "Do I REALLY believe- and live like I believe- that He can change people?" Check out the link to see more about the Walled City, which was torn down in 1993. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City

Adam, thanks for the kick in the rear, but my lunch hour is over now so au revoir until next time.

2007-08-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided it was about time that I post something new. I don't want to completely fail at my attempt to stay on the blog train, although the last few weeks haven't been as crazy. Aaron has officially been teaching for 6 days now and is really enjoying his classes and his students. We are so thankful for the opportunity to stick around SLO County! As for me, harvest has officially started at Laetitia so things may start to get a little crazy around here. Last year I missed the sparkling presses in action, but not this year baby. They are right outside the window in my office and should be put to use very shortly. I'll try to post a picture soon for those who have no idea what I'm talking about.
As far as weddings go, Aaron and his friends had a blast out at Lake Arrowhead for Mark's final weekend as a single bachelor. He'll be marrying Laura Dixon up at the Paso Robles Inn this weekend and Aaron has the pleasure of being in his wedding as well. After this, the next wedding isn't until March.
Other than that, we've recently walked this new trail that they opened up out in Los Osos/Montana de Oro called Buchon Point. It's not a very difficult hike, but it's definitely a cool view as you can see below. We enjoyed the view on a very sunny day with Ben and Stephanie and baby Kaila. For some reason I can't get the pictures to be any bigger and still be clear. I must be technically challenged so just use your imagination.

Crazy Week(s) in Review

2007-08-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, Sara and I are recovering from a crazy couple of weeks. The most important and interesting parts of which were the ending of summer school, Sara finishing her first triathlon, a trip to LA/OC, and the Pluims wedding.

Thats right!...Sara is an official triathelete! On July 22nd she competed in and finished the SLO Triathalon. For you out of town readers, if you From what she tells me she has caught the bug and will keep on swimming, biking, and running in the future...it currently looks as if we'll be going down to San Diego in September for her next event.hear of a triathlon in your area let us know!...that would be an awesome excuse for us to get off of our butts and come to your neck of the woods for a visit.

As for myself I've been living the good life of a teacher while enjoying my last week off before school starts. Last Wednesday I took the train down from SLO to San Clemente to spend a little time with my family and go to a couple of baseball games with my friends. Taylor (college roommate) somehow landed a job in which he HAS to go to Padres games three times a week in his company's box seats...fortunately for me I didn't sufficiently piss him off during our college years and he invited me (and Adam) down to the game. It was awesome! All you can eat food and beverages while watching the game in a posh box.

Not to be overdone the next day started with my parents taking me out to lunch at Gen Kai (my favorite sushi restaurant) and then going to get some new rainbow sandals from the factory store in SC...I am currently going through the growing pains of breaking in a new pair (for those of you who own their own and can sympathize). Later that day I drove up to LA with my buddy Taylor to visit our other roommate Mark (who is getting married in three weeks) and go to the Giants/Dodgers game. The game was awesome, albeit the Dodgers did lose, and we each took home free Russell Martin bobble head dolls. That night we slept at Mark's amazing Pasadena apartment before heading back up to Paso Robles for Joe and Holly Pluim's wedding.

Joe, another of my college roommates, got married Saturday and gave me one of his groomsmen. the honor of beingThe wedding day started out with a bang as we competed in a team-style golf tournament. My team (Tighe, Thomas, Garrett, and myself) ended up winning by about 8 strokes. The worst part is that as the winners all we received was a hat and the 2nd place team each got $50 dollar gift certificates!!! Oh well. The rest of the day was just as amazing...the brides parents hosted a beautiful ceremony and reception. As I'm writing this I think the bride and groom should be arriving at their honeymoon destination of Fiji.

Thanks for sticking around for the entire story...the subsequent posts shouldn't be as long. Hope you're all having a blessed week.

P.S. If you haven't yet seen The Bourne Ultimatum make sure you see it ASAP...easily the best movie of the summer!

Back in Action

2007-08-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to rebuild our reputation and erase the title of "slacker bloggers" who only post every other blue moon, we have created the all new....Nespers in Action! What is Nespers in Action? you say. Well, it's a site dedicated to the current events and happenings in the lives of Aaron and Sara Nesper; along with any thoughts, interesting stories, photos, etc.
After 2 years of school, substitute teaching, student teaching, CSETs, and lots of prayer and support from friends, Aaron has finally landed a TEACHING JOB!! He will be teaching Economics, AP Economics, and US History at Righetti High School in Santa Maria. For now the position is 80% time, which means he has four sections instead of five, but that could change once school starts. We are so thankful for this answer to prayer and can't wait to see how the Lord is going to use Aaron in his new position.