Life has been good. We have been happy.
To all you avid readers of ours who we do not speak on the phone with regularly, here is a brief update:
In March we moved 26 miles west to live in Mar Vista, rather than Burbank. It was quite a bittersweet move, as we really loved our little bungalow in Burbank, and we loved living across the street from our best friends. But our new apartment is less than two miles from our jobs and we are now both biking to and from work on our own time, rather than driving 26 miles to and from work together and one of us always waiting on the other. Life feels so much less hectic now. We have downtime. We can relax. We can take things day by day rather than week by week. And we really like our new apartment also- we got what feels like a great deal on a space that is a bit larger than what we had in Burbank. All in all, this was meant to be. We're in the right place for now.
We joined a new church about two months ago and we are LOVING it. It is a relatively new church that was just planted in February of this year. There are about 30 people who attend regularly right now, and we are excited to be there and to be a part of them growing. We intend to stick around for a very long time. It is nice to have finally found a church that we are both happy to be a part of- it's been years since either of us have really felt at home in any specific church.
We have a niece! Beautiful little girl was born on March 14th and she's perfect in every way. We will be meeting her in July when they come out to visit us here in LA, and I cannot wait to snuggle with her!
We celebrated our first wedding anniversary on June 1st. We celebrated not by painting the town red, but we did go out for Indian food, and watched our wedding video, and all in all just had a relaxing day enjoying each other's company. The little things are our favorite.
Jeremy is in the process of switching over to a new position at work- helping with the day to day maintenance and organization of the facilities and eventually helping to organize and put on in-company community events. He is very, very happy with this change, as it is much more in the way of how his mind works and doesn't involve him sitting at a computer for all hours of the day. And what's more, as it is a project-based position it will give him more flexibility to choose his own hours and work when it is most convenient for him- which is great timing, because he's been talking with a casting agency that casts commercials. So if he gets an email in the middle of the morning mentioning an audition that is happening two hours later, he can leave work and go to that theoretical audition. The best of both worlds? For now, it seems to be.
And I, Bekah, am quite content with my nannying job. It's been just about a year since I started working for this family, and it's been a great year. I'll likely be sticking with them for as long as they need me, and my plan is to then transition into starting a Doula business. We'll see where the road goes.
Life has been good. We have been happy.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Monday, February 10, 2014
Five Dollars in 2014
It's just shy of a month now until the 2014 LA Marathon.
I'm feeling much more at ease about this than I was at this point two years ago when I was anticipating the 2012 Marathon. I didn't really know what I was doing then. And while it was all fine in the end, I'm happy to be on the other side of it with a little more know-how.
This year is a bit different, as I know what to expect now. And I have a great excitement welling up in me as I remember what it's like to run in the company of tens of thousands of people. Marathons really are a lot of fun (speaking from the experience of running only one, that is).
Also, I'm running as part of relay team, and as such I will be running the second half of the marathon. 13.1 miles is A LOT shorter than 26.2 miles (I'm really good at math!) So I'm feeling great about this!
And this team I am running with- Team Pasadena- we are running for a reason. We are running so that a little boy named Kenny, who has no family to speak for him, can receive a surgery to repair his cleft lip. Kenny is one of the orphans of China, and there are so many more Kennys to speak for than just him. We are doing what we can to be his voice, as an extension of all the work that Love Without Boundaries is doing.
--- --- ---
When I was telling my family about the team running to raise money for Love Without Boundaries, my sweet little brother (who is somehow 10 years old and 45 years old at the same time), immediately said very curiously, and without faltering "I have five dollars, will that help?"
A big, resounding YES!
This little brother probably has about ten dollars to his name to begin with. There are no allowances in the Witzer household.
I want to be more like my little brother. I want to be able to continually say "I don't have much, but you can have it." Because in all reality, what I have isn't mine. Christ has given me everything in my possession.
I want 2014 to be the year of remembering my brother's five dollars. In the midst of paying Los Angeles rent, furiously trying to pay off mountains of student loans, and figuring out thrifty ways to pursue my passions, I want to also give what I have, and give it in love, with the full confidence that Christ will continue to meet every need in Jeremy's and my household.
Who's with me?
--- --- ---
As a footnote, your five dollars can most definitely help Kenny. If you're interested, you can visit Team Pasadena's fundraising page here: http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/programs/other-projects/teamlwb/teamlwb-events/m.events_members/634/view/428
I'm feeling much more at ease about this than I was at this point two years ago when I was anticipating the 2012 Marathon. I didn't really know what I was doing then. And while it was all fine in the end, I'm happy to be on the other side of it with a little more know-how.
This year is a bit different, as I know what to expect now. And I have a great excitement welling up in me as I remember what it's like to run in the company of tens of thousands of people. Marathons really are a lot of fun (speaking from the experience of running only one, that is).
Also, I'm running as part of relay team, and as such I will be running the second half of the marathon. 13.1 miles is A LOT shorter than 26.2 miles (I'm really good at math!) So I'm feeling great about this!
And this team I am running with- Team Pasadena- we are running for a reason. We are running so that a little boy named Kenny, who has no family to speak for him, can receive a surgery to repair his cleft lip. Kenny is one of the orphans of China, and there are so many more Kennys to speak for than just him. We are doing what we can to be his voice, as an extension of all the work that Love Without Boundaries is doing.
--- --- ---
When I was telling my family about the team running to raise money for Love Without Boundaries, my sweet little brother (who is somehow 10 years old and 45 years old at the same time), immediately said very curiously, and without faltering "I have five dollars, will that help?"
A big, resounding YES!
This little brother probably has about ten dollars to his name to begin with. There are no allowances in the Witzer household.
I want to be more like my little brother. I want to be able to continually say "I don't have much, but you can have it." Because in all reality, what I have isn't mine. Christ has given me everything in my possession.
I want 2014 to be the year of remembering my brother's five dollars. In the midst of paying Los Angeles rent, furiously trying to pay off mountains of student loans, and figuring out thrifty ways to pursue my passions, I want to also give what I have, and give it in love, with the full confidence that Christ will continue to meet every need in Jeremy's and my household.
Who's with me?
--- --- ---
As a footnote, your five dollars can most definitely help Kenny. If you're interested, you can visit Team Pasadena's fundraising page here: http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/programs/other-projects/teamlwb/teamlwb-events/m.events_members/634/view/428
 |
| Kenny |
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Recent Adventures
Well, avid readers, family, friends, it's been a while!
What has happened since our car fiasco?
We've gone on some adventures, which I have explained and posted pictures of below, just after the update on our car.
We have decided to keep Gemma. She caused us some major problems, yes. And twice we attempted to purchase a different car, but both times drove away in our little green one. And we've come to accept it. We got brakes and rotors replaced, a new clutch, and a new throttle body. Gemma drives much better now (though I'm still having some trust issues). But the fact of the matter is, she's a car with just over 32,000 miles on it at this point, and while it may have some issues in the next few years that could come up sooner than a different make, this car will get us through those years just fine. Unsuccessfully buying a different car, twice, helped us come to that realization. So for now, Gemma is still our car. And instead of trading it in for another car in its (cheap) class now, in 6 or 7 years (once we've paid off all our student loans and have established some savings) we have our sights set on trading up.
Plus, also, Gemma is like our child, since we don't have a kid, and we don't have a dog or cat or bird or fish to fill the void. Gemma is ours. And so the thought of trading her in so soon was a tad bittersweet, and now we'll keep her around for a while and that's a happy thought.
See, look at all these pictures of Gemma and how happy we are with her:
We do love our car. We really do.
And now, for some recent adventures:
We went on a hike at Griffith Park, which is one of my most favorite places here in LA.
We also went camping the first weekend of November with some great friends. We drove 2.5 hours east to Joshua Tree National Park. It is a desert. But we had a really neat campground. Jeremy took some pictures after climbing up some tall rock formations:
Also, we went to Disneyland this past Saturday, thanks to a birthday present for Jer from his parents that benefited BOTH of us, and we had such a wonderful time!
What has happened since our car fiasco?
We've gone on some adventures, which I have explained and posted pictures of below, just after the update on our car.
We have decided to keep Gemma. She caused us some major problems, yes. And twice we attempted to purchase a different car, but both times drove away in our little green one. And we've come to accept it. We got brakes and rotors replaced, a new clutch, and a new throttle body. Gemma drives much better now (though I'm still having some trust issues). But the fact of the matter is, she's a car with just over 32,000 miles on it at this point, and while it may have some issues in the next few years that could come up sooner than a different make, this car will get us through those years just fine. Unsuccessfully buying a different car, twice, helped us come to that realization. So for now, Gemma is still our car. And instead of trading it in for another car in its (cheap) class now, in 6 or 7 years (once we've paid off all our student loans and have established some savings) we have our sights set on trading up.
Plus, also, Gemma is like our child, since we don't have a kid, and we don't have a dog or cat or bird or fish to fill the void. Gemma is ours. And so the thought of trading her in so soon was a tad bittersweet, and now we'll keep her around for a while and that's a happy thought.
See, look at all these pictures of Gemma and how happy we are with her:
 |
| Here is Gemma in Sequoia National Forest. |
 |
| Here is Gemma and a redwood. |
 |
| Here we are while Gemma hangs out under a fallen tree. |
We do love our car. We really do.
And now, for some recent adventures:
We went on a hike at Griffith Park, which is one of my most favorite places here in LA.
 |
| Here is the observatory from our vantage point up on a hill. |
 |
| Here we are on our hike with the Hollywood sign just beyond. |
We also went camping the first weekend of November with some great friends. We drove 2.5 hours east to Joshua Tree National Park. It is a desert. But we had a really neat campground. Jeremy took some pictures after climbing up some tall rock formations:
 |
| You can see where we parked to the right of the center of this picture. We cooked over a fire just to the left of that, and farther down in the shade just under center you can make out the tents were we slept. |
 |
| Making camp. |
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| This desert, like any good desert, had an oasis. Palm trees in the middle of nowhere and a small pond of water. |
Also, we went to Disneyland this past Saturday, thanks to a birthday present for Jer from his parents that benefited BOTH of us, and we had such a wonderful time!
 |
| Enjoying our overpriced Dolewhip. |
 |
| Storm Troopers in real life, aka all of Jeremy's dreams coming true. |
 |
| Partaking in the mad tea party. |
Now we're getting ready for the crazy party that will be happening in our one bedroom house from November 22nd-29th: seven of the Witzers will be in town. Watch out- they just might take over LA!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Car Troubles
A little over two years ago, in preparation for moving to Los Angeles, I decided to trade in my little pickup truck for a car that could road trip across the country and be suitable in the city. After much research, conversation with people I care about, and deliberation, I decided on a brand new 2011 Ford Fiesta. While, yes, it is a cheaper car, it was my first ever large purchase (aside from college tuition), and I was very pleased with the outcome. I named her Gemma.
Fast forward 2 years later, and Gemma treated Jeremy and me well for the duration of those two years. She's made the drive from eastern Pennsylvania to Los Angeles TWICE, she's driven on Kentucky back roads, up and down I-95 around Philadelphia, and all over the state of California- we took Gemma on our honeymoon all through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, up the Pacific Coast Highway to Oxnard, to wine country, and to Monterrey, and she's driven countless hours on the 405 stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Never a complaint.
And then 29,000 miles happened.
And then she stalled on us (an automatic car, mind you) in the middle of the 405 (luckily an easy fix, just put her in park and turned her back on). Then she stalled on Jeremy as he slowed down to merge onto I-5. Then she stalled on us as we stopped at a red light. Those three instances happened throughout the month of August this year, just over the 2-year mark of owning this car. So we lightly considered trading it in for something that had the reliability we were expecting from the Fiesta. We talked about it for a few days, halfway decided yes, made an appointment with a Honda dealership to look at a Certified Pre-Owned Honda Fit, and then Gemma started breaking down so badly a few days before that appointment, that we weren't able to make it to the Honda dealership.
That would be last Wednesday, as we drove our 27 mile commute to work at 6:45am, and Gemma started making a most HORRENDOUS noise every so often as I hit the brake pedal. This noise grew in frequency the farther in to our commute that we got, and by the time I dropped Jeremy off at Zefr and I drove the mile back to my place of employment, I was at a complete loss as to what to do. I'm no car person, and the noise sounded dangerous. I called Ford, they sent a tow-truck under the warranty that thankfully has 6000 miles left on it, and took it to the nearest service department in Santa Monica.
Apparently the service department was too busy to take a look at Gemma on Wednesday, and Jeremy and I are forever thankful for his co-worker Erin who drove us home to her apartment in Sherman Oaks, and our good friend Emily who picked us up there on Wednesday night and drove us home to Burbank. Emily and Jonny also lent us their car to drive to and from work on Thursday. We have amazing friends.
We were able to pick up the car on Thursday evening, but the mechanic hadn't had time that day to check out the transmission (which I asked him NUMEROUS times to do), but had found a code telling him something was wrong with the Throttle Body. So that got replaced, and we were told the transmission could be looked at the next day. But we needed a car to drive, so I drove it home while Jeremy drove home Emily and Jonny's car. The noises started up again about 15 miles into the commute home. And got so much worse on the commute back to work on Friday morning that we drove straight to the dealership in Santa Monica, dropped it off, and utilized their shuttle service to get to work Friday morning. It's a good thing we always get to work ridiculously early to begin with.
We spent much of Friday having no idea if we'd have a car to drive home that evening, and there were plenty of what-ifs. We had dinner reservations for Jeremy's birthday, we hardly ever go out, especially to somewhere as nice as we had reservations at, so of course there was the potential that day, of all days, to have to cancel it. We also had the appointment with the Honda dealership on Saturday morning, and we were really hoping to bring in Gemma in working condition and trade her in that morning and just be done with it all.
BUT, as there always seems to be a but in these situations, a call to the service department around 3pm found us with a clutch that needs replaced. Thankfully under warranty. And apparently Gemma is still safe to drive. So, we got a ride to Ford service from my employer later that day when she got home (so thankful for ALL of the people who have been helping us out), picked up the car that still made plenty of bad-sounding noises, and got to our dinner reservations on time. So now we're driving around our noisy car while waiting the estimated 2-3 weeks for the clutch to get in, then we'll figure out how we're getting to and from work during the 2 days it will take to get it fixed, and then, hopefully, all will be okay, and we'll head over to the Honda Dealership shortly after that and find something more reliable.
We really did like our little green car, but with all this hassle, and with plenty of people all over the Internet griping about similar and worse situations, with fewer miles and with more miles than ours, we're figuring that the best thing to do right now is to get a car that's been proven to not have issues. So, Honda it is. We're definitely going with something that is certified pre-owned. We're looking to get a 2011 or 2012 Fit, as that is actually the other car I deliberated about getting back in 2011, then ended up with the Fiesta, but it has also come to our attention that the 2010 (and some 2011) Insights are also quite affordable. We commute 54 miles round trip every weekday, and the MPG of the Fiesta was a large draw(28/37). The Fit's MPGs aren't quite as nice- 27/33- and the Insight, as it is a hybrid, boasts a much better 40/43. We are in city traffic for a good 3/4's of our commute.
The Internet research I've done has basically said that the Fit is a better car. More space in the interior, drives nicer, and many other things. However, there are also many people who love the Insight (while there are many who do not). The Insights are remodeled and new as of 2010, I think, so that's also a drawback, as we want to get something that we know has the reliability of a true Honda. (We also found an affordable Civic Hybrid, but they do not have good reviews at all.) We want to test drive an Insight to see what we actually think of how it drives, as it seems as though many people have qualms about that.
So, a question, friends, car fanatics, everyone in between, does anyone out there have experience with a Honda Insight? How about the Honda Fit? I already know that I liked the Fit a lot when I test drove it back in 2011. And it seems to be a proven model that will stand the test of time. I just can't get my mind off of the MPG difference in regard to our commute and how often we somehow find ourselves on the road even without work.
I'd love any and all insight (hah) you can give!
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| Elvis was a fan of Gemma. |
Fast forward 2 years later, and Gemma treated Jeremy and me well for the duration of those two years. She's made the drive from eastern Pennsylvania to Los Angeles TWICE, she's driven on Kentucky back roads, up and down I-95 around Philadelphia, and all over the state of California- we took Gemma on our honeymoon all through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, up the Pacific Coast Highway to Oxnard, to wine country, and to Monterrey, and she's driven countless hours on the 405 stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Never a complaint.
And then 29,000 miles happened.
And then she stalled on us (an automatic car, mind you) in the middle of the 405 (luckily an easy fix, just put her in park and turned her back on). Then she stalled on Jeremy as he slowed down to merge onto I-5. Then she stalled on us as we stopped at a red light. Those three instances happened throughout the month of August this year, just over the 2-year mark of owning this car. So we lightly considered trading it in for something that had the reliability we were expecting from the Fiesta. We talked about it for a few days, halfway decided yes, made an appointment with a Honda dealership to look at a Certified Pre-Owned Honda Fit, and then Gemma started breaking down so badly a few days before that appointment, that we weren't able to make it to the Honda dealership.
That would be last Wednesday, as we drove our 27 mile commute to work at 6:45am, and Gemma started making a most HORRENDOUS noise every so often as I hit the brake pedal. This noise grew in frequency the farther in to our commute that we got, and by the time I dropped Jeremy off at Zefr and I drove the mile back to my place of employment, I was at a complete loss as to what to do. I'm no car person, and the noise sounded dangerous. I called Ford, they sent a tow-truck under the warranty that thankfully has 6000 miles left on it, and took it to the nearest service department in Santa Monica.
Apparently the service department was too busy to take a look at Gemma on Wednesday, and Jeremy and I are forever thankful for his co-worker Erin who drove us home to her apartment in Sherman Oaks, and our good friend Emily who picked us up there on Wednesday night and drove us home to Burbank. Emily and Jonny also lent us their car to drive to and from work on Thursday. We have amazing friends.
We were able to pick up the car on Thursday evening, but the mechanic hadn't had time that day to check out the transmission (which I asked him NUMEROUS times to do), but had found a code telling him something was wrong with the Throttle Body. So that got replaced, and we were told the transmission could be looked at the next day. But we needed a car to drive, so I drove it home while Jeremy drove home Emily and Jonny's car. The noises started up again about 15 miles into the commute home. And got so much worse on the commute back to work on Friday morning that we drove straight to the dealership in Santa Monica, dropped it off, and utilized their shuttle service to get to work Friday morning. It's a good thing we always get to work ridiculously early to begin with.
We spent much of Friday having no idea if we'd have a car to drive home that evening, and there were plenty of what-ifs. We had dinner reservations for Jeremy's birthday, we hardly ever go out, especially to somewhere as nice as we had reservations at, so of course there was the potential that day, of all days, to have to cancel it. We also had the appointment with the Honda dealership on Saturday morning, and we were really hoping to bring in Gemma in working condition and trade her in that morning and just be done with it all.
BUT, as there always seems to be a but in these situations, a call to the service department around 3pm found us with a clutch that needs replaced. Thankfully under warranty. And apparently Gemma is still safe to drive. So, we got a ride to Ford service from my employer later that day when she got home (so thankful for ALL of the people who have been helping us out), picked up the car that still made plenty of bad-sounding noises, and got to our dinner reservations on time. So now we're driving around our noisy car while waiting the estimated 2-3 weeks for the clutch to get in, then we'll figure out how we're getting to and from work during the 2 days it will take to get it fixed, and then, hopefully, all will be okay, and we'll head over to the Honda Dealership shortly after that and find something more reliable.
We really did like our little green car, but with all this hassle, and with plenty of people all over the Internet griping about similar and worse situations, with fewer miles and with more miles than ours, we're figuring that the best thing to do right now is to get a car that's been proven to not have issues. So, Honda it is. We're definitely going with something that is certified pre-owned. We're looking to get a 2011 or 2012 Fit, as that is actually the other car I deliberated about getting back in 2011, then ended up with the Fiesta, but it has also come to our attention that the 2010 (and some 2011) Insights are also quite affordable. We commute 54 miles round trip every weekday, and the MPG of the Fiesta was a large draw(28/37). The Fit's MPGs aren't quite as nice- 27/33- and the Insight, as it is a hybrid, boasts a much better 40/43. We are in city traffic for a good 3/4's of our commute.
The Internet research I've done has basically said that the Fit is a better car. More space in the interior, drives nicer, and many other things. However, there are also many people who love the Insight (while there are many who do not). The Insights are remodeled and new as of 2010, I think, so that's also a drawback, as we want to get something that we know has the reliability of a true Honda. (We also found an affordable Civic Hybrid, but they do not have good reviews at all.) We want to test drive an Insight to see what we actually think of how it drives, as it seems as though many people have qualms about that.
So, a question, friends, car fanatics, everyone in between, does anyone out there have experience with a Honda Insight? How about the Honda Fit? I already know that I liked the Fit a lot when I test drove it back in 2011. And it seems to be a proven model that will stand the test of time. I just can't get my mind off of the MPG difference in regard to our commute and how often we somehow find ourselves on the road even without work.
I'd love any and all insight (hah) you can give!
Teaser Trailer
The teaser trailer is finished! Directed by Jonny Walls, produced by Aaron Champion, and a slew of other friends doing everything possible to help out. They did a FANTASTIC job on it! Check it out and share it!
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