Merry Christmas!

It's 7PM on Christmas evening and I wanted to just write a brief note to wish all who read a very MERRY Christmas. I realized many of you east coasters are getting ready to go to bed - but I wanted to get my seasons greetings in. I hope you had a very peaceful, wonderful day. Though I'm alone on Christmas day - I'm very thankful for this Holiday and it means a great deal to us. We had a WONDERFUL visit back home with our wonderful families in PA. It was sad to return - but my awesome brother Kyle came back with us. It was so great to show him around LA.

Hope you have a great Holiday time. Bless you all!

timmy (and deb)

Home for Christmas!

Well - we are excited! This Tuesday, Deb and I are heading home for an early Christmas to the state of thrills and unending excitement - PENNSYLVANIA! It really feels like it's been a while since we've been home - so we're just so excited for this visit. We'll, of course, split the time between my fam in Harrisburg and Deb's in Pittsburgh. But we're just planning to relax and enjoy time with the people we love. Perhaps we'll get a chance to see some of you. If we don't - so sorry. But you can ALWAYS come visit us out here!

This week, I'm proud to say, I recorded my commercial voiceover demo reel! My producer, Cynthia, my engineer, Chuck, and I cranked it out on Thursday evening. I can't believe how fast we did it. I was in and out in less than two hours (voiceover is nice like that because the only instrument you need is your voice). Now it's in Chuck's hands to engineer the whole thing. The demo will be 1 to 2 minutes in length with about 10 different voice samples. He'll string them together seamlessly AND insert sound tracks behind each sample. So it will sound like a bunch of actual commercials. I can't wait. I'm very confident that this will open the door for me to start getting work! Next step, after Christmas, is to begin producing my animation reel. I'm excited for this one because it will be all character based so I can capture as many of my funny voices as possible! Of course you'll be able to listen to them when they are ready!

Well - that's it for now. Hope this advent season is a joyous time for all of you and that you find yourselves in a loving community in which to share it!

blessings,
Timmy (and Deb)

ps - if you're interested in buying a Honda Scooter, let me know. We're looking to sell ours.

A Very Merry Thanksgiving!

Ok - I'm STILL full. No joke. I suppose I've been eating a bit less for the past 4 months so Thursday, being thanksgiving of course, was my excuse to go CRAZY. We ate allll day. ALL day folks. We had a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving. We spent it with our good friends Chris and Rachel Hall. We have so much fun with them that we actually had them over on Wednesday night for a sleep over. There's something so much more fun about having a more prolonged celebration - even if they do only live one mile north of us. Wednesday night we went out to see Australia (fantastic film) and had fish tacos at Rubios - one of our very faves.

Thursday morning, Deb and I actually got up early for a little bike ride in a meager attempt to make some extra room for food. When we got back, Chris and Rachel had the parade on and the thankfulness BEGAN! We began cooking our 14 pound bird (way too much meat for 4 people) around 11. I was in charge of basting - something I tend to pretty much rule at. You won't find a better baster. Dinner was ready at 3 and we had turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole or bread or whatever, crescent rolls, and stuffing! It was all VERY good! After cleaning up we decided to take a little walk to help digestion and then we came back to watch one of our all time favorite movies - Love Actually! If you haven't seen it - see it. We have so much to be thankful for and this Holiday with friends only reinforced that.

Friday Deb worked and I hung out with my new friend Jacob! I began a mentorship program through a local organization called the Lake Avenue Foundation. It's linked to our Church and does work with families in a less privileged part of Pasadena. One of their programs is mentoring - so I applied and they matched me up with Jacob. He's 8 years old. I was given free tickets to the LA car show - so we went. We had a GREAT time together. He is a sweet, fun little guy. We just went from car to car - getting in any of the ones that were open and pretending to speed away! I'm excited about this. I'm excited to get to know Jacob more and I'm excited to get to know his family more. They are wonderful people! It's so easy and natural to hang out with people that pretty much look just like us - so I'm excited for the opportunity to connect with people that come from completely different backgrounds and even speak another language (spanish)!

So there's our last couple of days. Now - I'm going to sleep. Happy Sunday.

Brilliant Bluegrass!

This past Thursday - we went to a BRILLIANT concert. It was in a small, intimate side room at a place in West Hollywood called 'Largo.' You may have heard of a fantastic group called 'Nickel Creek.' Well - two of the groups three members are brother and sister named Sean and Sara Watkins. And every couple of Thursday nights when they're not on tour playing in front of thousands they host a little concert called 'The Watkins Family Hour.' So we went. The 'little room,' they call it, sits only about 50 people. Around 9PM, Sara and Sean and three other guys got up on this tiny stage with one old fashion mic and jammed blue grass for two hours. We just sat there and took it in. And it was such a chill show. They'd just pick what they wanted to play up there and without skipping a beat - they'd go right to it and play brilliantly! Just one of many many things we love about living in LA :) I've borrowed a picture from my friend Ben's blog. It's a picture with Sara and Sean in the middle. On either side are two guys that went with us - John and Alan.

Can't wait for THANKSGIVING! I rode my bicycle up the steepest hill I know of today in preparation for Thursdays gorging. It really kinda sucked. We're planning for a great time with our good friends Chris and Rachel! Hope you have a great week!

much love,
timmy (and deb)

27

Hard to believe - yet another year of life has come and gone. I am, as of November 12th, now 27 years old. Don't worry those of you who are older than me and wish you were 27 again - I'm not going to complain about how old I feel. I won't do that to you. I don't really think anyone has the right to complain about how old they are unless they're in their 100's. Even if you're 90 and start saying "Oh, I'm just so old" - you know a 91 year old will pipe in and say "Now you shut up! Do you know what I wouldn't give to be 90 again? It only gets harder from here whipper snapper." (At what age to you actually start using the word "whipper snapper" anyway?) But if you're 109, you're kind of the oldest person alive. When you hit that age, you've merited the right to complain about age. All that to say I - at 27 - am doing just fine. In fact, I'm feeling GREAT! I feel healthier and lighter than I did at 22. California is GREAT! I have to keep remembering that back east, people have had to take their exercise (if they are still exercising) indoors. It's 91 in LA today. I love being able to ride my fantastic bicycle all year round! I do have to remind myself, however, that 27 is DONE. I may have that age next to my name - but my 27th year is finished. I am now beginning my 28th year. It's a little more depressing to think that way - but I just have to be realistic. Goodbye 27. :) We celebrated with our friends the Widemans and the Whites by eating some fantastic Thai food at our favorite Thai place - Saladang. mmmmmmm! Deb made me the bestest cake on earth - German Sweet Chocolate! I've got a picture for you to drool over!

We are well! I began the process of producing my voiceover demo reel last Monday. This is the thing that makes everything possible within the voiceover actors world. It's going to make it possible for me to get an agent and from there get auditions and WORK!! We're (me and my producer) starting with my commercial demo and after that will work on the animation demo. It's an investment - but it will be worth it! I'm very excited. The process will take a few months. I've had a few comedy gigs recently that went decently.

Deb and I are SO excited for the Holidays! We get to go home for a visit in just about 3 weeks! We go home for a week on Dec.9th! So maybe we'll see some of you readers when we're there!

As always - hope you all are well and that your life is blessed!

Timmy (and Deb)

ps - visit my website if you haven't recently!

New Things!

So these past few weeks have been filled with new, exciting things. Three in particular. NEW THING #1 - we have a NEW CHAIR! And not just any new chair - but a brand new leather chair WITH a leather ottoman. And it's REAL leather. This thing is so comfortable and it looks great in our apartment. I've always wanted some kind of leather form of furniture. I love the way it looks, feels, AND smells. In fact - I'm sitting in it right this second! I'm attaching a picture - just so you can feel a little bit jealous. But you are more than welcome to come visit and sit in it as LONG as you want!!

NEW THING #2 - I just posted a NEW VIDEO!! It's one my wonderful sibling Kyle and Kara and I shot this past summer. It's entitled Egyptian Tune. It's an intrinsically thoughtful and academic look at the ancient empire of Egypt. Enjoy!



NEW THING #3 - We have a NEW PRESIDENT!! I have to admit that I'm pretty excited about this. All politics aside - it's just so exciting to be a part of this incredibly special time in History. If you're not as excited as me - that's fine. But I have a lot of hope for our country with this new addition to the White House. GOBAMA! Let's commit to keeping our new leaders in prayer!

Well - that's about all for this time. Hope all is well with YOU all.

Timmy (and Debbie)

Gaining and Losing

Well - I gotta say I'm pretty proud of myself. While we haven't been posting every week - we're doing a bit better. So - definitely some updates!! (ok - let me just say I'm watching man vs. wild on discovery and I'm about to puke. He just ate a sheep heart. DISGUSTING!) So on the gaining side -yesterday - I had a meeting with a talent agent. The meeting went GREAT and now I've got myself a commercial and print agent!! What that means is she will be submitting my headshot and resumes (online) to casting directors of commercials. If the casting directors like my photo - they call me in for an audition. The goal is to be out on several auditions a week, which makes booking one much more likely. Also - eventually - once I've booked some things and join the screen actors guild, they'll very likely represent me theatrically and send me on auditions for tv and film!! So it's just a beginning - but a very encouraging beginning. They're a legit agent - unlike some of the other ones I spoke with that seemed kind shady. Woohooo!!

On the losing side - I am losing WEIGHT!! I (Tim) - had gained a bit of weight since my junior year of college and never really got back to my target weight (170). I got within ten pounds for our wedding - but then afterwords, of course, I gained 10 or so back. I started doing an online version of weight watchers - where you log what you eat online and keep track of your calories then log your weight each week. I started at 194 in August and I am down to 180!! Just 10 more pounds to go! It's just so rewarding and I feel much healthier!

Deb has also lost some things - work hours!! This is fantastic. She was feeling a little overwhelmed working 6 days a work cycle (two weeks) and doing grad school. So she talked to her boss and managed to lose a day AND she's now on a fixed schedule where she works EVERY monday and tuesday and then every other saturday. She won't take to massive a pay cut, will keep benefits, and be able to work overtime! It's so great and she is so excited.

So things are going well. Still loving California. About to love our apartment just a little more. After I post this - I'm running to a furniture store to buy a LEATHER CHAIR AND OTTOMAN!! We'll put some pictures on here when we get it!!

Please leave a comment and say hi. Hope you all are well!

timmy (and deb)

ps - I have some new standup online. Please visit my website - www.timmymorgan.com.

Slow for Tim - CRAZY for Deb

Hey there readers (all 2 of you :) - by the way - does anyone else find it awkward trying to put a smiley face inside parentheses?

So - life in LA. Let me first say that I JUST released a new video. I made a mock McCain attack ad. I'm sorry - I know it may seem partisan - but I'm just so tired of the negative campaigning so, since I'm comedian, I did the thing that comes most naturally to me - find the comedy in it.



So things are slow for me. While I'm coming out with brilliant comedy online - there just hasn't been much work for me from the extra work OR from subbing. I did submit an application to a local private christian high school which is literally a mile down OUR road. So just waiting on that. "Waiting" - probably the one word that best describes my existence out here. Waiting to hear from agents, waiting to hear about auditions, waiting to hear about day work, waiting to hear about gigs. It can be a little frustrating - especially when you see successful comedians and actors who literally have to turn work DOWN because they're getting so many offers. But God is teaching me patience and how NOT to worry. It's all good!

Debbie, on the other hand, is a busy lady. When she's not working, she's doing grad school work - and when she's not doing grad school work, she's either sleeping or working. But she is learning balance. It's not easy - but to me she's doing it like a pro.

Still loving Cali. Things are starting to cool down a little bit - PERFECT for cycling. Hope you all are well!

love,
timmy and deb

Wiped Out...

OK - so I'm probably one of the worst bloggists in history. I know we're not giving readers enough to keep 'em coming back. But for those of you who still tune in from time to time. Here's the latest!

OK - so I (timmy) am WIPED OUT. Today I topped my all time cycling mileage in one ride record. My friends Ben and Ryan and I biked - are you ready for this - 107.50 miles today. 107.50 MILES!! Can you believe that. And yes - to answer your question - the tush is quite sore. It was an utterly exhausting experience. Sitting on your hard, bicycle road bike seat for 6+ hours is not a lazyboyesque experience. We hit a major wall around mile 80 or so. It really was like running a marathon - minus the impact pain. But the joy of knowing I probably burned enough calories to put me in the Michael Phelps category was quite gratifying. But I am tired!

So we are well! We returned from a wonderful vacation with Deb's family in Sunset Beach, NC about three weeks ago. It was refreshing and just awesome. What a blessing to be able to spend time with family in such a wonderful place! We were a bit sad upon our return but we're back to loving CA again. Two weeks later we went with two other couples to Sonoma County again for some wine tasting and cycling (where we did 70 miles in one day!) Debbie is busy. She has started grad school. She is doing an online degree and she is busy doing that and working still. I'm still slowly trying to make my go out here. I began a voiceover class and am very excited about it!!

So that's us really quick. I'll try and get another one up soon. Love you all!

timmy

August...

So gosh - these past couple months have been rough on the blog writing front. I'll try not to make this too long because I know no one will read much if I do! It's been a fantastic and FAST summer. It's just so hard to believe it's almost over. The end of July saw a wonderful visit/vacation with the Morgan family. We hung around Dillsburg for two days - visiting friends and family - and then headed down to one of my favorite places on earth - Avon, North Carolina in the outer banks. It was a relaxing and fun vacation. Obviously, our family interaction is quite limited living here in California. So we savored every minute.

August has been great. I'm feeling very encouraged. As I mentioned earlier, I've decided to pursue voiceover work. I was able to have a meeting with a coach and have gotten into a fantastic workshop staring September 9th! So that will be the first big step on this new career road. I just had my first gig at a major comedy club - The IMPROV! It went extremely well and I will have footage up soon for you to watch! And I have a new website!! timmymorgan.com Please visit!

Deb is well! She has her orientation for grad school TOMORROW! So she's getting excited and nervous for that to begin. And we're both very excited for Thursday because we are flying home to go on vacation with her family - the Schultz's. We're going down to Sunset Beach in NC. So that will be a fantastic, relaxing time!

We hope and pray all is going well in the lives of the probably 2 people who will read this!

blessings and love,
tim and deb

More Visitors!

We're back! I'm sure we've lost readers - what with the time lapse in our posts. But for those who still tune in...Hey!

June was a fantastic month - and HOT! There's a phenomenon out here called "June Gloom" where the whole city is pretty much covered in this gloomy, misty, cold fog. Then July comes and the sun comes out. Well - there was no June gloom this year - not one day. It was a HOT and sunny month - the average temp being somewhere in the 90's. But that's ok - we still love it. June didn't see as much travel for us. Deb got a great trip out to NY to camp with her college roomies - but besides that, we camped out here in Pasadena. I decided to earn a little more money and do more extra work. You may see me on the 3rd episode of Monk and perhaps an episode of "Chuck (NBC)" next season. I had my very FIRST (and only actually) day of subbing out here. It was for a French class and it went AWESOME! When the school years starts up again in the fall, I look forward to more subbing!

July brought some muchly anticipated visitors - my Aunt Judie and her dear friend Linda! Aunt Judie JUST retired and is enjoying a two week retirement trip to where else but one of the best places on earth - California! They got here on July 2nd and took off upstate just two days ago on the 7th. We had a BLAST with them. We showed them around - checking out Hollywood, Beverly Hills (yes - we actually walked down Rodeo Drive and even went IN the Hugo Boss store (great suits!!)), Santa Monica, Pasadena, Solvang, and Santa Barbara. We even managed to squeeze a screening of Wall-e in there (great Pixar pic)! It was so nice to host them and show them our new home!! And of course - we ate a lot of good food! I think the highlight of their visit was enjoying a pre- 4th of July celebration at the famous Hollywood Bowl. The LA philharmonic performed a tribute to the Dodgers 50th year in LA. Randy Neuman was there as well as some other famous names (all of which we didn't know except Tommy Lasorta) in baseball. The music was wonderful, we ate a wonderful picnic, and of course, enjoyed some incredible fireworks at the end!

July is looking to be busy. I'll be extraing for 10 days on a Tom Hanks movie due out next year called "Angels and Demons." If you haven't read the book - read it. It's by Dan Brown, but less controversial than DaVinci Code. Then we head home at the end of the month for vacation in the outer banks with my fam! Can't wait! So that's us. Hope you all are well. MIss and love you all very much!

Timmy (and Deb)

Let's Catch Up!

Well hey there readers (if we have any left) - please forgive the amount of time that has lapsed since our last post. Yes we know - we are lazy california bums - what can we say? I'm going to try and briefly catch you up on our last month and a half since you heard about our AMAZING trip to San Fran (a trip we plan to repeat I might add). So shortly after we returned from the bay area - my WONDERFUL parents came out to visit us. They spent a few days enjoying the bay area as well and then we met them in Santa Ynez valley (if you ever saw the movie "Sideways" then you know how amazing it is). Then we showed them around Pasadena and sadly had to say goodbye. But we really had a wonderful time with them. It's so fun to show people from back home our lives out here. Even though we have nothing to do with how awesome Pasadena is - we somehow take pride and credit for it when we show it off.

It would have been much more sad to see them leave if we didn't have the joy of knowing our dear friend Rachel Moury was coming to visit just two days later. On Wednesday, May 21 she flew into town. We immediately went down to San Diego and enjoyed a day and a half there seeing a Padres game and going to Sea World! We also showed our home off to Rachel, went to Santa Monica and just had a brilliant time together. Rae Rae left a week later and there was much sadness. But it was just so wonderful to see her. It was as if it had only been a week since we'd last seen her. Friendships like that are just so wonderful!

Well - two days after Rae left - we were gone again. Our good friends Chris and Rachel Hall were given a time share by their parents for free and they cashed it in at a lodge in Big Bear Lake (in the Sierra's about two hours east). They invited us to join them - so we spent 5 days just chillin with them up there. We did some hiking, played some games, drank some Arbor Mist (Deb's new favorite alcoholic beverage - a nice mix of wine and Sprite haha) - and just had fun with them!

And now we're back in LA! Deb is getting ready for Grad School in a little over two months. She and Meredith (our good friend who is doing the exact same program) just registered and ordered their books! Exciting! I have been just doing some extra work to earn a little money for the summer. I do have some news in terms of what direction I'm planning to go. I've decided to invest time and money into going into voice over work. This is a field that I feel gifted in and there happens to be a lot of work in it too. If you're not sure what that mean - voice over work covers anything from tv/radio ads and commercials, training videos - to cartoons and movies. It's a great field that I can do it from anywhere. So I'll be taking a class this year and putting a good demo together and hopefully can then get an agent and get some work!! I'm also moving ahead in comedy. I'd like to put a website together this summer and a decent demo and hopefully get some management. Still a very unknown and crazy future ahead - but we continue to trust God through it all!!

But life is grand out here. Deb leaves this week for NY where she'll be camping with some good college friends. When she gets back - we'll be graced by a visit from my wonderful aunt Judie! Can't wait. Please say Hi. We miss you all and hope you are all well!

much love,
Timmy and Deb

ps - it's flippin HOT out here. It was 105 yesterday and today it's 100.

Sonoma and San Fran

So the fun continues in California (sorry to make you all jealous). We took another mini vacation, a mincation if you will, last weekend with our awesome friends Ben and Meredith. We left on Thursday (5/1) for beautiful Sonoma County in Northern California. If you've not heard of it, it's the neighboring county to famous Napa county - the counties known for their production of wonderful wines. It's just an hour north of maybe my favorite city, other than Pasadena, in America - San Francisco. We got to our campsite - yeah, we camped - around 4 on Thursday and kinda just chilled. Friday was our high culture day of wine tasting. We rented some bikes and biked to three different vineyards. It was super fun. The wine was quite tasty and Deb survived the day tasting wine without having to add ANY sprite!! haha

On Saturday, we got up early and left for a day in San Francisco. We played tourist all day - visiting the park where they filmed the opening sequence for "Full House", we went to the hippy district, and then parked at Fisherman's Wharf. We had a nice lunch there and then got some amazing ice cream at Ghiradelli Square. And of course - we rode the trolly. We took it downtown, walked around, got some Chinese food in Chinatown, and then it was nighttime and time to head back to the campsite. We could see ourselves doing well in San Francisco - especially since there are so many scooters everywhere. It was a great day. Sunday, we packed up and it was back south to LA. It was an awesome trip and we hope to return in the fall when the grapes are ripe!

So - what's next? We're looking forward to Mom and Dad Morgan's visit this week. They land in San Fran on Tuesday and we'll meet up with them on Thursday. It will be so great to show them around our new home. When they leave, our dear friend Rachel Moury will be coming into town. Tons to look forward to. As always - we hope you are well!

Tim (and Deb)

Yosemite!!

We went up to visit our friend Bobby in Fresno this week. (We studied together with Bobby in England ~ jolly good) He took us up to Yosemite for the day. To get to the Yosemite valley ~ the center of the park ~ we had to drive a ways in beyond the gate. The road led through a tunnel and as we came out the other side, the view is amazing. It suddenly opens up and there is this beautiful green valley in front of us. There are waterfalls, huge rock formations and just a breathtaking view of Yosemite. Sort of the kind of view I picture in the movie "The Land Before Time." We kept waiting for a dinosaur head to pop up out of the trees... We decided to take a hike and ended up spending the afternoon hiking up to the top of Yosemite Falls. Wow ~ that was an incredible hike. Very hard, very steep but very rewarding. The view from up there was incredible, we could see all over the valley. It was neat to be at the top of the Falls and see all the water going down over the edge. And can I just say "ouch." We are all feeling the after effects of that hike and are babying our muscles now. Here are some pictures from our trip, but obviously pictures don't do it justice... OH - and if you're wondering just how high we hiked - take a look at the last picture of the falls from a distance and then look at how tiny the people are next to it (they're a good 200 yards in front of it too) - and then look up at where the falls begin - yep - we went that high!

We hung out with Bobby and he showed us around Fresno the next day and we bought some amazingly delicious fruit at some roadside stands. I have never tasted strawberries that taste this good before! And fresh oranges too. California is so good to us! :) It seems like it has just been one big vacation since we moved out here ~ getting to do all these fun things and see all these cool places, and, oh yeah, working every once in awhile... (not that we're complaining!!!) Anyway, we're off to get ready for our next adventure (camping in Sonoma next weekend) Hope all is well out there!!!

Baja Bike Ride

Last weekend we packed up Dot (our car), loaded up our bikes and headed down for Mexico! We rode down with our pals Ben and Meredith, spent the night along the border and crossed into Mexico in the morning. We joined about 7500 other bikers at the start line for the Baja Bike Ride. It was an awesome ride ~ 50 miles along the coast ~ starting in Rosarito and ending in Ensenada and traveling mainly along the ocean. A lot of families came out and watched along the bike route and cheered us on. And a bunch of little kids lined up and reached out their hands to get a high-5 as we biked past. They also yelled out "candy!" (one of the few English words they knew) as the bikers rode by - some of the bikers knew to bring candy and treats down to throw to the kids in the sidelines. It was great. At the end, they had a big finish line fiesta with all sorts of tacos, burritos, churros and yummy (authentic) Mexican food. We packed up and headed back home afterwards. We all slept pretty well that night... :)

Bikes and Workout Videos...

Hey Everyone!

It's Timmy. Deb would write this - but she's next to me sleeping. Something about having to go be a nurse tomorrow or something - i don't know. Well - it's been nearly a month - forgive us. Some new things - I just released a NEW VIDEO!! It's called 'Timlates: An Exercise ExtravaFUNza." It's a new workout that is sweeping the nation and changing lives! It's only 4 1/2 minutes long - and that's all you need to have your life changed. Trust me. It's just below. ENJOY!! And please - if this has impacted your life - don't keep it to yourself. Share it with your friends and family. Together...well, you know the rest.




As for what's going on out here - well - Debbie and I just keep falling more and more in love with California!! We've been biking a whole lot. Last Friday we went with our friends Ben and Meredith Wideman (faithful readers of our blog) to Santa Monica and biked 44 miles up and down the coast. it was amazing! Parts of us were sore - but it was a fantastic time. We're getting our money's worth out of those wonderful bikes!!

We have a lot to look forward to this spring. Next week I take my class, finally, to be a substitute. It's been a long road - but it's finally here. Next weekend - we're driving down to Baja, Mexico and riding in a 50 mile century race. It's really low key and will be a blast. In the beginning of May we're planning a trip up to wine country which we can't wait for and then - WE'RE GETTING VISITORS! My parents are planning to come out west for their - your ready for this - 35TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!! So we're going to get to see them. And then the very next week, our dear friend Rachel Moury is coming out!! So like I said - much to look forward to. Deb is still waiting to hear from Cal State as to whether she's in for their nursing education grad program - but we're not worried. Deb rocks!!

We hope you all are well and blessed! We love you all!! Leave a comment and say hey!

love,
Tim and Deb

The Latest...

Well hey there people! How's life? I hope all is quite well with you! We are doing well ourselves. Let me just say how much we love living in California right now. This week's weather has been absolutely fabulous (an adjective I don't typically use to describe anything). It's been consistently in the mid to upper 70's and nothing but sun - though, today is a little cooler and more overcast. Deb has 3 days in a row off this week - so we decided to take a day vacation down to Santa Monica. The nice thing about California is that you literally only have to drive a few miles and you feel like you're on vacation in a place that you'd have to fly to. It was a great day. We rode our brand new bikes (yes - we purchased new bikes!!) on a 22 mile ride up and down the coast on this awesome trail that runs from Malibu down past Hermosa Beach. Out butts were quite sore by the end - but it was awesome.

So yeah - we have new bikes. Deb was due to get one and I, yet again, crashed my bike and this time, totaled it beyond repair. We got a great deal at a beautiful shop nearby and have been enjoying them as much as we can (which is often out here). Enjoy the attached pics.

Deb and I both enjoyed trips back east (not at the same time sadly). Deb and her two sisters (Katie and Pat) flew home to surprise their mom for her birthday. Since it's been over a year since all three girls were at home at the same time - this was a HUGE surprise indeed. They enjoyed a nice, relaxing, snowy three days together eating food, sitting by the fire, and playing games! I was sad not to be there - but so happy for Mom!

I just returned last week from a week at home. I was flown out by Paeoli Presbyterian Church (near Philly) to be the speaker at their annual winter retreat up in the Poconos. Friday night, Feb 29th, I just did comedy. Then I actually preached twice on Saturday. I was a bit nervous about crossing over from goofy comedy to a serious talk about faith - but it actually went quite well. I was amazed at how comfortable I was talking about Jesus and faith and abundant life and all the wonderful stuff! I was also able to just enjoy a great visit with my family for a few days before and after the weekend. I got to meet my BEAUTIFUL new niece Lily! She is a blessing. Lucy is an absolute trip. She's singing and like most little kids - is utterly obsessed with Elmo.

Now I'm back and getting back into things out here. I'm currently editing my workout video - Timlates - and it should be out by the end of the month. Stay tuned! Deb is continuing to enjoy her nursing and is awaiting word from Cal. State to see if she's in for grad school! I don't have any doubts - who wouldn't want Debbie!!! Last weekend was outdoors weekend for us. Friday we went skiing with our friends Ben and Meredith, Saturday we took a 6 mile hike, and Sunday we took a nice bike ride!

So all is well. Please drop us a line and say Hi! Hope life is well for you!

blessings,
Tim and Deb

Way too long - forgive us!!

Hey You Wonderfuls!!
Please forgive me for not writing a blog for a month and a half. I know it must be really really tough to feel so disconnected from our lives - like being without milk, bread, or eggs during a snowstorm no doubt. We miss you all so much and hope you are super well! Let me quickly catch you up on things.

I'll start with Deb. Deb is still a nurse. She's now off orientation and she's doing amazingly. As you can imagine - there's always a degree of stress in nursing - but Debbie is doing so well and handling her work with skill and grace! Some MAJORLY EXCITING NEWS in Deb's life. Just two days ago - Deb mailed in her application in to California State University to pursue a masters in nursing with a concentration in nurse education. It appears to be a great program! She'll be able to go part time, work full time, and still finish in just two years. It will be through the internet - so she can hog our computer right from home ;) And it's an incredibly affordable program. There will be no need to take on loans! And what's even more exciting - we have good friends Ben and Meredith Wideman - well, Meredith is a nurse and she will be pursuing the same program at the same time. So Deb will have someone to work through it with. How exciting is this?!! It's truly a blessing!

Ok - so on the comedy/acting front. I've been able to get involved with some great projects so far this year. Last weekend I was in a shoot called West Guild Story (you can see it on youtube if you just type the title in the search bar). It's a parody on the writers strike that just ended. It was super fun. We spent a week rehearsing (dance and singing) and shot it on New York Street on CBS studios lot - the very same street where they filmed much of Seinfeld!! I have a supporting role - but was so thankful to be part of it and develop new friendships. Just two weeks ago - I shot my own workout video called "Timlates - A Workout Extravafunzga!!!" I still have yet to do much of the editing - so stay tuned. But it should be funny - and, of course, revolutionize the way the world works out!! I have a few standup gigs lined up - but nothing huge to speak of. Still deliberating over whether or not that's what I want to passionately pursue. We'll see.

As I type - Deb is actually in Pittsburgh. She and her sisters flew back to surprise her mother for her Birthday - and if you know Deb's mom then you'll know that is a wonderful gift indeed. She flies back tomorrow. It's been a wonderful visit. I am actually flying back east on Tuesday for a week. I'm being flone out to speak at a youth group retreat - to do comedy and then be the main speaker. I'm really excited do both. I love making people laugh and I love to talk about Jesus - so this should be a cool experience! Perhaps I'll see some of you while I'm home!

Well - that's the past month and a half - basically. Exciting no? Hope you are well. Please feel free to say HI!! Love you all!


blessings,
Tim (and Deb)

HAPPY 2008!!!

Hey faithful readers!! Sorry so much for the long delay. Long story short - our mac had a couple issues installing the new operating system - Leopard - so our computer was rendered inoperable for 2 weeks. But thanks to my friend Lee who happens to work at a Mac store and his genius friend - our computer is up and running!!

So - last time we wrote - we were getting ready to go home for our Holiday visit. The visit was AWESOME! We got to split it down the middle and spend 8 days in Harrisburg and 8 in Pittsburgh. We even got to go to a wedding - the wedding of Deb's bestest friend ever Natalie. It was a great celebration. It was so refreshing to spend time with family and friends. Of course - it was way too short. But we're so thankful to be blessed with such wonderful friends and families and the means to return to visit when we need!

We got back to Pasadena late the 18th and returned to work on the 20th. I'll be honest, when Christmas day rolled around - it was actually quite weird. Deb had to work and I was left alone for most of the day. It just didn't feel like Christmas. Deb and I got to celebrate a lovely Christmas together on Christmas eve - so that was nice! When I picked Deb up after work on Christmas night - we drove around San Marino and looked at some of the Christmas lights on the HUGE houses. We were half tempted to walk up to one of the houses and ask if we could come in and hang out - haha. We just missed being with our families a whole lot. It's interesting how Christmas in our culture has become the family climax of the year. So not being with our families was sad. But we bounced back! :)

Deb and I had an AMAZING new years. We decided that we were going to rough it and camp out on Colorado Avenue - the main drag of the Rose Parade (which happens to be just two and a half blocks up from where we live!). We decided to scope out the territory around 1:30 on New Years Eve and it was already filling up. We were talking with one family that was camped out and part of the family happened to be from PA! Well - they just took us under their wing and told us to go get our stuff and camp out with them. it was AWESOME! They gave us their food, they gave us cots to sleep on, they even let us borrow marshmallows to throw at oncoming traffic (a pre-rose parade tradition). We were literally part of the family. IT WAS SOOOO FUN! There wasn't any organized New Years count down - we kinda all the sudden just started cheering and throwing more stuff. We didn't, or course, get much sleep and when we woke up at 6AM - there were 10x more people all around us then when we went to sleep. The parade was awesome! We had front row seats and could actually smell the floats. Debbie and I both felt that it was just so worth it! AND we made some new friends! Enjoy the some of the pictures!

So who knows what 2008 holds for us - but we'll certainly keep posted on everything! We love you all! God Bless you in this new year!

love,
timmy and deb