Family Time

The past couple of weeks have been full of family time. Deedra had time with her family, unexpectedly, as her aunt passed away. She spent time at the visitation visiting with many family she hadn't seen in quite some time. Her aunt, age 57, left behind a husband and daughter who just finished college last year.

We also spent time with Justin's brother Nate and his family. They made the trip to visit and see our new acreage. We had a great time with them playing ball, relaxing in the beautiful weather and just being together. In addition, Deedra's sister and her family came for a day during their visit as the two families had connected at our wedding. Below are a few favorite pics from that visit.

A few days later, Justin's parents made the trip and spent a few days. We took a day off of work and traveled to an Amish community nearby, enjoyed eating out, and watching the Olympics together. Great family time that we so enjoyed at summer's end. Justin and nephew, Cody.
The kiddos: a mix of both families.

Been farmin' long, Brady?

Dad Nate pitching to daughter, Meeghen.

Sister-in-law Cori Ann and her son Cody.

The boys hanging out around the campfire.

The kiddos eating flavored ice. D and J with the kiddos.

Getting Settled

We've gotten lots of questions as to how our new home is coming along and if we are "getting settled." I think the key word there is "getting!" Each weekend brings us closer to "being done" and feeling like this is more our home. This weekend, projects included finishing painting the guest bedroom, downstairs bathroom and porch ceiling. We also continue to figure out what to hang on walls, what goes in this closet, etc. Saturday night we enjoyed the firepit my Dad made for us, for the first time. Here's a few pics of rooms and our progress. Downstairs bathroom. This was formerly plaid wallpaper on the bottom and lady bug wallpaper on the top.
Kitchen. Repainted a "fine wine" accent wall and "creamy oat" on the surrounding walls. Formerly terracotta.
Three season porch. We painted the ceiling blue, modeled after the many homes we saw in Savannah with blue porch ceilings. We were told it was to keep out the evil spirits. We just think it looks cool and reminds us of our trip down south!
Justin working on installation of curtain tie back hooks in the guest room.
A sunset from our backyard this evening. Many people have told us we have tall corn. So, farm kids we are, we took some photos by the corn in our backyard tonight!

Taking Time to Enjoy

As I'm sitting typing this, it is pouring rain outside. The thunder is booming and the lightening is frequent. What am I thinking about? It may be the last time I sit in this house during a thunderstorm. I've had many of these "lasts" the last several weeks. We will be moving this weekend to our acreage. We took possession last Friday and have been painting and cleaning and getting prepared. In all the hustle and bustle, I haven't spent a lot of time just sitting in our current home, appreciating and enjoying where we've spent our first almost three years of marriage. This house has been our home and I will miss many things about it...

The fireplace that we light almost every evening in the winter. The deck where we grill and enjoy cool summer evenings. Our bedroom with its attached master bath. The guest room that we still lovingly refer to as "Kent's Room" from when friend, Kent lived here with Justin. Our stairs that open to both the kitchen and living room. Our basement that Justin and I finished with our own hands. The view of the golf course and watching its trees change from season to season. So many wonderful things and great memories. We will continue to drive by and fondly always love this house.

Rocky Mountain High

Justin and I enjoyed last week on vacation. We spent a few days in MN with his family celebrating Father's Day, getting in a run with sister-in-law Cori Ann before her Grandma's Half Marthon (way to go, Cori!!), shopping, visiting with siblings, etc.! We then spent a few days in Littleton, CO with friends Abby and Paul. They live on the Denver Seminary with Paul attending school and working at Lowe's and Abby a Physical Therapist in Aurora. We had a fantastic time!

Some highlights including catching up and getting to know Paul better, riding on the trails near the seminary, hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, shopping at St. Nick's Warehouse where we found some great deals--anyone ready to decorate for Christmas yet? Oh, just me?? We also enjoyed seeing downtown Denver and watching a few movies together over warm brownies and ice cream. Below are a few (okay, several) photos of our fun getaway. The beauty of the mountains. Deedra at Union Station.
Justin in Rocky Mountain National Park. Isn't he cute?
More nature beauty in the park. On the bike trail near the seminary.

At a park after a quick hail storm blew through.
Abby and Paul Eating lunch in Estes Park before the hiking begins. No words can even describe this sight! Fly fisherman in the park. I could seriously hear John Denver singing "Rocky Mountain High" almost the whole time we were in the Rockies! I'm usually not one for PDA!
D and Abby
On our last night, we spent some time at the local pet store. It broke my heart to leave this guy behind!

Flood of 2008

The flood devastation in our area has been unbelievable. In all honesty, it's hard to put into words. Justin and I have been fortunate to have a safe, dry home to return to, unlike so many in our area. We have assisted in sand bagging efforts in a neighboring town, have church members and friends who were flooded out of their homes, and have soaked in all the footage of the local tv stations who have been on air nearly non-stop giving up to date information on evacuations and news.

My parents have also been victim to all of the rain. They live about an hour from us and have had seepage for 3 weeks to their finished basement. We went there yesterday to assist in laying new tile, tearing out the patio area, relocating a flag pole and flower bed, and then focusing on the basement. We tore down paneling, dry wall and insulation. It is now an empty shell. They remain thankful that they have a home, even though much of it no longer looks like one.

Below Justin and Darin work on clearing the way for tile.

Looking at the house from the driveway-the yard torn up waiting for new tile.Mom and Kesha pull out flowers to relocate.Dana and the boys work on pulling out nails in the basement. Niece Brie and I taking a break from the long day.

Devastation in Parkersburg

An EF5 tornado tore through a town not far from us on Sunday. Two of our church families are now without homes. For a look at the devastation, check out these photos. Please pray for Richard & Carol and Brian and the rest of the residents of Parkersburg who are looking to rebuild their town.

Country Road Take Me Home

After months of looking for an acreage, we have found one! We've found a beautiful old farmhouse built in 1926. It is surrounded by cornfields and is in a great location. We are so pleased and excited! We will close in July and plan to move then. Our current home is for sale so hopefully all will go well with that venture! For those of you interested in learning where it's located, please send me an email and I can get that information to you. We'll be sending out the new address after the move.

Nina

I run on a daily basis with an amazing woman, Theresa. She is pictured below in pink. Her oldest daughter Nina (pronounced 9-a) is also an amazing gal. I've learned a lot about Nina through her mom on our runs together and have watched her succeed through her high school days in a number of things including a four year all-stater in orchestra, named 4A state volleyball tournament captain, tremendous track athlete, the list goes on and on. Nina is a senior this year and had her graduation party this past weekend. It was fun for me to serve food at her party and witness her many friends and family filter through to congratulate this neat gal. I'm excited to have Nina on campus next year and follow her through her track college career. Family photo: Theresa, Mike, Nina, and Hannah
Nina and myself.

State Track Meet. Nina getting ready to run the sprint med. She's in lane 6.

So Hard to Say Goodbye

This time of year is always difficult for me as my student employees graduate. Of the 5 seniors I'm losing, I had three for four years. After seeing them nearly every day, it leaves a hole in my heart as they leave. We've had a lot of special moments the last week sharing dinner, playing bocce and knockout, and sharing lots of memories. Here's a few photos of the past week. To my seniors, bless you and may your paths bring you back through our campus to reminise once again. Happy Trails.

Splish, Splash

We had some excitement tonight. With all the rain we've gotten today, water has accumulated in places we don't normally see water! It got so bad that Justin stayed by the road to slow drivers down and eventually the road was closed off. The golf course across from our house had a new pond form as well. An unusual form of Friday night entertainment!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

On Saturday, we drove to Kansas where D's cousin, Alan and his wife were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary as well as both of their 50th birthdays (they share the same birthday!!!). They had a nice meal and reception. We also enjoyed seeing D's aunt Wanita, Uncle Bill & Aunt Marge, Cousin Wanda and her family, and D's parents. On our trip home, we got to visit with J's cousin Pam and her husband Ryan. It was a great trip seeing many family!

Wii with the Littles

We enjoyed some time with our friends, the Little's, in Ankeny last Friday night. Lisa is a woman of hospitality. She prepared a wonderful dinner meal of chicken followed by peach cobbler dessert. For breakfast? Blueberry pancakes! After their cutie girls went to bed (we can't believe we didn't take a pic of them!) we had fun playing with the Wii. Here's a few shots of the boys playing tennis and boxing and the video below of Lisa and I playing tennis. Thanks for a great evening, Little's! Let's do it again soon!