Happy Birthday Darlin!

Dan turns 21 today! :) Happy Birthday my love!

Yep, this stud muffin :)

My dearest Dan, I love you! Have a wonderful 21st birthday! I hope to celebrate many more birthdays with you to come!!!

I was replying to a friends email yesterday. She had mentioned something about marriage and husbands and it got me thinking about my husband. First off, it made me tremendously thankful. Thankful that I have a godly husband and that we have a good marriage. I'm thankful that God orchestrated our union and that he knew what was best for us all along. The thought struck me that God rejoices in Christ-centered marriages...that he rejoices when a couple loves and treasures each other. The same goes for the church. When its members love and respect one another, God rejoices. This convicts me...I need to make sure that I am being a promoter of peace and love!

Monday night we got back from a weekend in Oregon. 9 of us loaded up into a Suburban for the long trip! On the way there we took the long way and hit Montana, Idaho, and Washington before getting to Oregon. Yep...21 hours worth! It was beautiful scenery but we were glad to get out. Saturday we went to the beach with a bunch of people and we got to see whales!!!! It was pretty exciting. The wedding was beautiful and we met some wonderful people. Sunday night, we headed back...taking the short route this time...only 18 hours and one person less. Needless to say, we were, again, VERY ready to get out of the car!! But God was faithful and provided us with a safe trip!

Well, until next time.....

Trip to Mexico...and back

Our trip to Mexico proved to be an amazing trip! It was wonderful to spend time with Joel and Kristi and their boys! The slower pace allowed me to meet/remember the kids there and gave me the confidence to try to learn some Spanish! Dan helped Joel with a few projects and I spent time with Kristi and held Beni. Since we have never really had much one-on-one time, this trip gave me the chance to get to know Kristi better...we had a lot of good talks and I learned a lot from her! As you can see, Beni (8 months) is adorable...

Dan helped the guys paint lines on CVE's new basketball court.

Saturday afternoon, we went to Steph Bahr's house for a picnic! Poncho/Marcos waiting for the hotdogs!

Not sure what Josè is doing to Dan!

Sunday (Mother's Day) the dad's at CVE made a delicious dinner for the moms: Tripple Tip steak, baked potatoes, garlic bread, salad, and Joel make tasty apple crisp for dessert! I got the pleasure of feeding Beni while Kristi was at the "mother" table.

We arrived in Mexico Thursday afternoon and since Dan worked the following Wednesday, we decided we had to start the long trip home Monday. We loaded our stuff up into our "new" vehicle (Joel's old Jeep) and after goodbyes, started the 18 hour trek.

Dan wanted to see some sights on the way home and so we took the long route...over Wolf Creek Pass. Mexico, Arizona, a bit of New Mexico, and into south-western Colorado.

In Arizona...by an amazing canyon! (Hard to see...pictures do not capture the depth!)

Our new beast

New Mexico...kind of barren but still beautiful.We came upon an AMAZING waterfall!

Here is a video of the waterfall. At the top, the mist was blowing and it was so cold up there that it was freezing to the surroundings making it look like a sparkling wonderland.

Treasure Falls: Wolf Creek Pass, CO

Monday night we spent the night in Farmington, NM. And Tuesday morning we were back on the road! We made it home safely Tuesday evening. Tired of being in the car but thankful to the Lord for a safe trip!

Farewell Ol' Friend

Yep. Her.

I realized that I haven't updated everyone on my car situation! Well, when I was back in Indiana I started hearing this rattle in the rear passenger side of my car. No biggie, I thought, probably just the muffler loose. As Dan and I were driving it to Colorado, it started shaking BAD at certain speeds. It has since kept the rattle and the shaking. About a month ago I got a flat. Dan watched and coached ( so I could get some hands on learning) as I put on the little doughnut. Off to the auto man...used and trusted by Dan's family.

The diagnosis: (forgive my girl lingo here...I don't really know what's wrong with it!) Something is wrong with the wires to the spark plugs, the transmission fluid was like mud, the serpentine belt has got some problem, and I have a broken/breaking strut. He estimated a price that we weren't sure was worth fixing it for.

But amongst all the bad news he did fix my tire for free!

So, since we'd be putting into the car about what it is worth...and since it is already drinking more oil than it should be...We decided to get a new car. New to us that is.

Mexico here we come! Joel, Dan's brother, has a Jeep Cherokee that he is wanting to sell. It's an older Jeep but in good condition. Dan and I are heading down Thursday (yeah, in two days!) to get it and drive it back. Dan found really cheap tickets and we are really looking forward to seeing Joel and Kristi and their boys! We'll probably start driving back up Monday or Tuesday.

It will be kind of hard to see my car go! Before me, it belonged to my aunt Joan. I have many memories driving to and from Lafayette as a little girl with her (and Bridgett or Max) ;) But we are looking forward to having a 4-wheel drive vehicle for the mountains!