I went to Idaho for Thanksgiving. Dave had a six day gap in work so he headed to Arizona the week before Thanksgiving. People have asked me if it is weird to not spend a holiday with Dave and I guess it is, but we just make it work. He actually had to work on Thanksgiving Day so even if I were home we wouldn't of had a traditional Thanksgiving on the day of.
I came up to Idaho for a week and I just love seeing family. I always tell my sister that I so look forward to spending time with them but I always know the week will go fast and I'll be sad at the end.
My sister and her husband have a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old so we have to be strategic in planning to do things. Somehow we managed to do some shopping, go for coffee, go to a craft fair and do family pictures. It was a lot of fun.
My nephew Zachary knows how to give the best squeezes around and I take every hug he'll give me.
I'm at the airport and feel super sad but I also know I'm really blessed to be able to hop on a plane and see family. I'm blessed that they are healthy. I'm blessed that God put us all together as one big family and for all that, I'm thankful. My nephew loves to sing the song '10,000 reasons' and it's just the cutest thing ever and is also a really good reminder that we really do have 10,000 reasons for our hearts to praise Him.
How was your Thanksgiving?
What was your favorite part? Have you ever spent a holiday away from your spouse?
As many of you know a few weeks ago I went up to Washington State. I visited Seattle and took a little bit of time to watch a couple of the sunsets. However, those things aren't what made my trip great. I went up to Whidbey Island to see my siblings, to celebrate Elliot's 2nd birthday and to see Zachary.
I don't even know how to put it into words but we had such a wonderful time. We didn't really do anything out of the ordinary but the ordinary moments were just so darn fun! We cooked, we watched The World Cup (go Brasil!), we played with the nephews, we talked and shared about life, we went to the park and just had a great time.
My favorite moment of the whole trip happened during meals. Side note, but don't just some of the best memories in life happen over meals? I think so! Anyways, we were eating and someone raised their hands and said "touchdown!" Well, we all started doing that, then the nephews joined in and when little kids do things it's 100 times more entertaining. Then it went from "touchdown" to "goooooooaaaaaaaaaal." I had to laugh because seriously, the things we do to entertain little kids.
Have you ever tried to pose a 2 and 1 year old for pictures? Yeah, me either until this trip. I sat the nephews on this big chair for some pictures. Well one of them slouched down and of course the other kid had to be the same so they were both slouching. I decided I'd just take pictures just how they were; slouching and all. Then after I snapped their pictures they were so excited about their slouching "We did it! We did it!" Not quiet little boys but you sure are cute.
You guys have no idea what one piece of chocolate mousse pie will do to kids. Like they will spin in circles for hours (with hugs in between the spinning).
Breakfast at the Knead and Feed! It's a local joint up on Whidbey. It over looks the water and serves some of the best homemade cinnamon rolls ever.
After breakfast we tried to get some pictures of the nephews. You think after the slouching couch experience I would have learned my lesson but I didn't and tried again. I think the 'non-posing' ones are the best.
Father's Day Pictures
Pool Time - and yes, we boiled hot water to mix in with the freezing water.
This kid is definitely related to my side of the family because he can put down food like no one's business. I secretly love it because I also have that large and in charge appetite which means we will all have family meals for years to come. Oh and here are the birthday pictures.
Shy birthday boy!
Ok, so Elliot wanted to blow out his candles twice. Fine by us but I'm gonna let you in on a little secret: me and my brother are droolers. I mean, if I'm super tired and go to bed ... my pillow is wet with drool in the morning (ew!). Well, little Elliot apparently inherited that trait too. Poor kid - the drool is apparent in these pics. I think it's cute =)
And if you aren't in my family and have made it this far in this post, I congratulate you! I'm so thankful I got to go and spend time with my siblings and nephews. It was a huge blessing.
Tell me about your family!
How many siblings do you have? Do you get along? Do you live close or far away?
Is anyone else out there an Aunt??? It's the best!
Hi! I wanted to do a mini recap of what's been going on lately. I feel like I've been MIA with blogging for a while and to be honest, it's felt really good! Sometimes those breaks are just needed.
Life Lately #18
Guys! I had the best time with my siblings and nephews. We talked, we laughed, we cooked together, we watched the World Cup, and of course we played with the nephews for countless hours. I love seeing those two little boys enjoy life. They both are just so fun.
After saying bye to my siblings and nephews I went to Colorado Springs to vacation with Dave's family. We hiked, went white water rafting, toured the Olympic Training Center, hiked Pike's Peak (my legs hurt, really really hurt) and spent some fun time together.
The World Cup is on! I'm rooting for Brasil and happy they have been doing well so far! If they are out I'll root for the US next but come on, America has their sports mixup by calling football soccer. Seriously! I also found my Brasil jewelry just in time!
While in Washington and Colorado I did a devotional on fear. It was short but really good. If you have fears/anxiety I highly recommend this devotional. It gave a lot of verses which me and some friends in Woodward are planning on memorizing this summer.
My hair! I finally let my good friend, who also happens to be my hair dresser, cut and color it. Ever since living in Asia my hair hasn't been a huge priority but I knew it needed something soon. Also, my friend sits a few pews behind me in church and weekly I'd get a text saying "I can see your split ends from here!" or "I'm glad you wore your hair up today so I don't have to see your dead ends." ha ha! It sounds rude but if you knew the level of sarcasm that comes from Shenel you'd understand why it's funny. Anyways, I got bangs, added red, blonde and let her trim about 3 inches off (which is huge for me!).
Tomorrow Dave and I are headed to OKC to meet with some missionaries from Thailand. We are praying and seeking about what we should do with missions. If you think about it would you please pray for us? I'll give a more in depth update later on this but in the mean time prayers are much appreciated.
How has your life been lately?
Are you watching The World Cup? If so, who are your rooting for?
Anyone else out there dread cutting off inches of hair?
I've been running more lately! I ran a 10k at home in Kansas and did a 10k as part of the OKC Marathon Relay. It feels good to run again. I also purchased a pair of Skora shoes. They are a minimalist shoe and I've really enjoyed them. I'm hoping to share more about my transition to minimalist shoes soon.
April 19th, was the day of one of the 10k races. In the middle of the race I kept getting lots of text messages (annoying!). I refused to check them but just knew it was my husband cheering me on. Little did I know those messages were alerting me that my SIL had gone into labor 4 weeks early. Our little nephew Aidan was born that day. He was healthy and just as cute as can be! Aidan is just precious and I love him dearly. I now have 3 nephews!
My granny turned 81 and we celebrated by going to Chuck E Cheese to play skee ball. She is a pro and managed to get a high of 40,000! I have a cool granny, you guys!
I also managed to talk my husband into getting onto this horse and then I quickly stuck a quarter in there. He was not thrilled. I however was and laughed hysterically.
Bible Studies
a.) I'm in the middle of a Bible study called "Jesus the One and Only". It's a Beth Moore study and has been sitting in my closet for nearly a year. I figured I better get it out and start studying.
b.) I'm reading a Proverbs a day in the month of May! You should join me!
c.) Some friends and I are memorizing Colossians 3 which you should join in too. If you want some memorizing tips I have some here.
After a year of being married I finally got my wedding band. It has pink sapphires on the sides and diamonds in the middle. I didn't solder my rings together because if we travel / move over seas my big diamond might not be coming with me.
This past weekend Dave and I went back to Wichita and it was WONDERFUL. We go home frequently but this past weekend I got to spend a lot of time with family and with my friends. We had a Brazilian dinner with my family, had steak with Dave's family, I got up at 6:15am on Saturday to take pictures for my photography project, I met with some sweet girls that I used to take to church, and hung out with my friend Alisha and Shenel. I'm thankful for the weekend at home. Oh and it was 100+ degrees this weekend. It was nice and warm!
Meet Kimchi - we found this polaroid on the ground in Korea and she now travels with us all over.
What have you been up to lately? How was your weekend?
Hello lovely readers! Does anyone else feel like Christmas comes and goes so quickly? Although the season felt so short I couldn't have been more blessed.
The weekend before Christmas Dave and I headed to OKC. We spent some time with our cousins, shopped a bit, ate some good food and visited both the OKC Bombing Memorial and the botanical gardens. OKC got a big ice storm while we were there and although it was freezing it made it beautiful. We then picked up our family from the airport and headed to Wichita.
The week was spent with family - cooking, playing games, laughing, knitting oh and I got sick. Like really really sick. I got some type of Christmas stomach bug and it knocked me out for a couple of days.
It was my first Christmas being married. Spending my Christmas with Dave and a new family was just wonderful. It was also a first Christmas having two cute nephews around.
This Christmas I was reminded that the holiday season isn't just the presents, family, planning for meals, eating, games, etc. Dave and I did a daily Christmas devotional this month and many of them talked about how Christmas is about Jesus, nothing more. My husband also preached the Sunday after Christmas and he said that Christmas isn't about family because your family might not always be there. I can't tell you how proud of Dave I was and how I was reminded of that truth. For my husband to proclaim that truth with his Mom being gone is a bold life statement that his faith is centered on Jesus.
I've compiled some of my favorite Christmas pictures. I say some because how are you supposed to pick just a few favorites? Plus, you know, in 20 years I can look back on this blog and see it again =)
