Welcome Home

Well, we're finally all moved to Louisville. No longer are we living in two different states or even among boxes in one state. I've spent the past few weeks unpacking everything, finding a place for it all, and purging quite a few un-needed items.

With all of the unpacking and putting together of a new home, the focus can quickly become one of trying to impress others. It's important for me to remember that my ultimate goal is for our home to be a safe haven for our family, as well as a place where we can bless others by living out the Gospel message and serving them. Especially now that Isaac is making the transition back to being a full-time student, it is even more important for our home to be an organized, efficient, and even calming place of respite, which can be a rather tall order at times (even when it's just the two of us). I am praying I would be faithfully diligent in my efforts to use my home to serve not only my family and friends, but outsiders and strangers as well.

I promised Lizzie Lou and some friends back in Missouri some pictures of our new home. So, welcome to our home, friends. Feel free to visit us anytime:

Our living room.  This is what you see when you first walk in.  Above the TV is a hanging print my former coworker brought me from Tanzania the last time she went home, a painted tambourine Isaac picked up while he was in China a few years ago, and piece of artwork from India, given to us by Max, Isaac's former boss.

The opposite view of the living room.  Thanks to Annie for teaching me the rules of throw pillows.  On the top ledge of the bookshelf is a good portion of our box collection.  I still have room for more, so if you're planning on leaving the country any time soon, check with me to see if I need a box from your destination. 

If you turn around from the previous picture, this is what you would see.  I really like this part of the living room because 1) it has something bright and cheery- a wall hanging from India 2) there are more of our boxes and 3) our wonderful map of the Arabian Peninsula hangs directly above the secretary.  The kitchen is on the other side of the wall.

Here's my reading nook, complete with a most comfy chair, a globe, and even camels (see above the chair) from the Middle East.  On the console table is our family Blessings Box, a picture of Sandy, some more of our boxes, and our Arabic Bible with the rosewood holder. Oh yes, and I'll work on getting actual pictures in that frame soon.

Dining room with windows to the porch.  The large painting is actually fabric and was our wedding present from Kim.  She purchased it when she was in Zambia a few years ago. 

Dining room leading into the kitchen.  You can't see it very well, but the corkboard sitting on the cabinet is our family Giving Board.  We post a picture of our Focus of the Month there; as you can see, this month it's the flag of Kazakhstan.  And the fun candles and wooden holder are compliments of Jen; she got them for me when she went to Guatemala a few years ago.  They go perfectly with our chairs, don't they?

The kitchen.  The first thing I always unpack are my magnets.  Somehow, when I have my magnets on the fridge, it always feels like home, no matter if I'm still tripping over boxes.  And of course, you can see my mug collection (about which I am extremely overprotective).

More kitchen.  I really like having that shelf above the sink.  I have most of my spices and my cookbooks up there.  In the top right hand corner, you'll notice my Grammie's 'kitchen witch,' who flies on a wooden spoon.  She gave it to my aunt when she got married and my aunt decided to pass it on to me since I was the first granddaughter to get married.  You may think it's odd, but it's a family heirloom, so I am slightly obsessed with it.

The last kitchen picture.  You can see it leading into the dining room.  The kitchen is pretty small, but I'm learning to work with it, and I think I'll like it a great deal.

Our one and only bathroom.  Not much to see, except for some of my favorite pictures I took while in Paris.

The spare bedroom/study/library/crafty room.  Yes, it most definitely is a catch-all.  But the bed is comfortable if you're needing a place to stay.

Books, books, and oh, more books.  What's sad is that this is merely a fourth of all our books...

Now ladies, what do you think of this?  Pathetic, I know.  Here lay most of my craft stuff...but alas, with no storage, this is not getting solved in the near future.

And last, but definitely not least, our most relaxing bedroom (with more books).

See?  More books.  Look at the ridiculously large stack underneath my bedside table.  The painting above the bed is one Isaac got from China.  It's one of my favorite pieces of art we have.  And you can't see it, but the picture next to the candle and books is my grandparents' wedding picture.  And let me tell you, they are wonderfully cute.  I've told my grandmother many times that if I was her age, she would have had some competition from me because my grandfather is handsome.  Or, as she called him, "A long tall drink of water from Texas."  Please note, my grandfather is not from Texas (thank God).

I've still got to finish a jewelry holder that will go above my massive dresser-like piece of furniture.

So there you have it, friends.  We hope that you will be able to come and visit us soon!

I Was a Poet Once...

...although I'm not sure if we could really consider me a poet. I did write poetry though; not a day went by when I did not collect my thoughts on paper in some form. I miss those days. Expression through writing was an important part of my life, and I think because I focused so much on putting my pen to paper virtually every day, I allowed myself to feel more. Oh yes, there was probably more angst (seriously, what teenager/young adult doesn't experience that anyway), but I also think I lived more because of it. Don't get me wrong, I have little desire to return to the days of yore (but deep down inside, I want to go back to high school just so I can read more books and write more papers- I am a nerd in the truest sense), and I love my life now. I just miss writing, and I miss sharing my words with others. Allowing someone else to read the words you penned is something beautiful; yes, you are completely and utterly vulnerable, but you also know the joys of liberation.

I've thought about posting some of my past poetry (nice alliteration, I might add, although totally unplanned), and I in fact did post a poem I wrote my sophomore year of high school. But I seem to abandon ideas if my few faithful readers don't consider my words 'comment worthy', and since that particular post garnished zilch in terms of comments, I didn't post any more of my work. I'm working hard to rid myself of this need for comments; I'm trying to remember that I'm writing this blog not for the achievement of comments and feedback from family, friends, and yes, even the occasional internet stranger, but for myself. Chronicling bits and pieces of our life is important, but writing (of the creative variety and not the 'research and detail-oriented grants for small non-profit' variety) makes me...well, me.

So, don't be alarmed if you see a poem or short story wheedle its way into my blog. I'll be a little less brave and begin with another poem from high school, originally published in the literary magazine Camenae.

Broken Again

Anticipation fills the air
as a fragile little boy
anxiously awaits the putter
of the old, familiar engine.

A pair of headlights
appears from around the bend,
making the butterflies in his stomach soar
as his eyes sparkle with hope.

With every second
his longings draw nearer,
and his mind whirls
with broken promises
and unsatisfied dreams.

The headlights fly past him-
not even slowing-
smashing his dreams
once again.

A New Endeavor

In college, my roommates and I began a collage on our living room wall in our dorm; the collage contained pictures depicting beautiful scenes in nature. Some of the photos we took ourselves, and others friends gave us to add to the collection. Since the photos continually reminded us of the magnificence of our great God's creation, we dubbed this collage 'The God Wall', and it became quite famous- at least among our own circle of friends.

I recently came across some photographs I debuted on The God Wall some seven years ago, and it reminded me of an idea I've had bouncing around in my head for some time: a photography blog- specifically, a photography blog focused on the magnificent beauty of God's creation. I haven't had the time to think about beginning a new blog, but since I am now unemployed until further notice, that reliable excuse of 'being too busy' has gone out the window. I scrambled for another reason why I couldn't begin this blog, and I found one readily enough: I am not a professional photographer, and I have way too many friends who are way too talented when it comes to photography. Seriously, twenty names just came to mind. I left the idea alone for a while.

But then, it seemed every time I looked at something beautiful, at something so skillfully and artfully designed, I wanted so desperately to share it with others- for them to see the wonder of it and to silently praise the Lord for His creativity in creation. I realized beginning this photography blog would not actually be about photography, but about worshipping our Creator through allowing ourselves to be amazed at His Creation. And that was it. That was the moment I decided to begin the journey, and I'm inviting you along with me.

Though I am not a talented photographer by any means, I sometimes find it is difficult to not take amazing photographs of what the Lord created. I hope that by purposefully shooting images of the beautiful scenery which so reminds me of Jesus the Christ and then sharing them with others, we can more fully worship the Creator by examining Him and His works. I hope you'll join me and allow yourself to be amazed.

Visit my new blog addition here.

Don't worry, I'll still be regularly blogging here. Add both sites to your reader if you'd like.

Long Overdue: Colorado Vacation

Oh, boy. I know this post is long overdue, but life changes have had me a bit distracted lately. As usual, I took a ridiculous amount of pictures, but I have done my best to condense the amount of photos so you literally don't spend days and days reading this post. So, here it is, in all its overdue glory: a recap of our recent vacation (recent as in 'almost two months ago') to Colorado in celebration of our anniversary.

We left early Tuesday morning to make the long trek to Colorado. I actually used to live in Colorado when I was younger, but since Isaac had never been there, we decided to take the opportunity to go west before we moved east and he buckles down with his studies. It's a pretty hefty drive, especially since you are literally in Kansas forever. Since we are Mizzou alumni, now would be the appropriate time to insert some derogatory remark about Kansas, but I'm beginning to feel slightly convicted on my negativity towards the state. You see, my grandfather was born and raised there (and was even offered a basketball scholarship to Kansas State), and since I love my precious grandfather dearly, I'm abstaining from nasty remarks about the state in general. Yes, dear ones, that's how much I love my grandfather, who I'm sure you all are aware by now, is the absolute most precious grandfather alive.

All negativity directed at Kansas aside, we were still exultant to finally arrive at the Kansas/Colorado border. I finally convinced Isaac to attempt to stop at state lines and take pictures as a family for a fun scrapbook I've been wanting to do. It only took me a few years to get him to oblige...


We got to the hotel in Colorado Springs and relaxed, just soaking up every glimpse of the mountains we could get. Of all of the landscapes possible, I think mountains are the most beautiful. I loved living in Colorado, waking up each morning and looking out my window to see the magnificance of Cheyenne Mountain. Don't get my wrong, living near the beach (as I have been blessed to have done for the majority of my life) is also amazing, but mountains hold a special place in my heart. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be back.

Wednesday morning, we made our way to Garden of the Gods, probably one of my most favorite places in all of Colorado. It's free, and it's beautiful. Beyond beautiful. A few of my favorite shots:





After enjoying a lovely lunch at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post, we decided to fork over an unreasonable amount of money for a tour of the Cave of the Winds. I think I went on a tour of this same cave in elementary school at some point, but hey, it's fun to do things as an adult, you know? Anyway, we had a ridiculously goofy and over enthusiastic guide, but I guess that's how they're all supposed to be.


And while piddling around in the shop searching for my obligatory souvenir magnet, I found this stunning hat:

This would make a charming addition to my wardrobe, no? After our tour, we were able to see a thunderstorm roll in over the mountains, which produces some beautiful images:



I wanted to show Isaac my old house and school and see the old haunts myself for nostalia's sake. We found my old neighborhood, and I proceded to point out houses to Isaac: "This is where my brother's friend Kyle lived, and Vanessa lived up that freakingly large hill. Seriously, it was madness to walk to her house. Oh, and you see that hill? Yeah, that't the hill I walked up to get to my school. In the snow. Yeah, I can say I had to walk to school uphill in the snow. Because I did. Except one time, I was halfway up the hill, and I slipped on the ice. And slid right back down to the bottom." We also found my old house, and I'm pretty sure the neighbors thought we were casing it for a break-in later that night. The next picture demonstrates what my basic view out of my bedroom window was while we lived in the Springs (it's a little blurry, but you get the idea):


Ah, the lovely Cheyenne Mountain. Crazy to think NORAD is inside of that thing...

Our final stop of the day was Quail Lake Park, the place where all the neighborhood kids ran to after the first good snow. There was a monster hill there, and it is the absolute best sledding hill of all time. Seriously, when I pointed the hill out to Isaac, he didn't believe we used it for sledding because it's so steep. But it.was.awesome. Quail Lake also holds a special place in our hearts; this is where we would walk Sandy (our puppy we adopted while living in Colorado). In fact, a man who was fishing there once looked up, saw my mom walking Sandy, and then promptly fell in the lake. After getting out, he exclaimed, "I thought she was a coyote!" For the record, my dog was not a coyote.


Thursday came our next adventure: riding the cog up Pike's Peak! I love riding the cog train because you get relax and look at the gorgeous landscape and wildlife, and you get to hear the corniest jokes from the conductors. Oddly enough, we sat across from a couple from Kansas City, so we had some enjoyable chit chat in between the jokes about the ram who ran right off the summit of Pike's Peak because he didn't see the ute turn. I know, I know, super cheesy, but aren't those jokes the best? Here is a small glimpse of what we saw on the way up to the summit:

Once we made it to the summit, we took as many pictures as possible. Did you know that on a clear day, you can see seven states from the summit of Pike's Peak? And did you know that 'America, the Beautiful' was penned by a woman inspired by the beauty of Pike's Peak? Pretty stinkin' awesome, if you ask me. We also went inside the summit house and bought hot chocolate because 1) it's awesome to drink hot chocolate in July, 2) they have seriously amazing hot chocolate there, and I was looking forward to it since we started our journey, and 3) it is freakin' cold on the top of that mountain- 35 degrees (Fahrenheit, of course)- even in the middle of the summer. A little hot chocolate was definitely in order.








And on our way back down, we got to see ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP! You don't always get to see this stunning creatures, my friends, and I was freaking out, quite literally. These massive guys are commonly called rams, and though we they were pretty far away from us, it reminded me of our honeymoon in the Colorado Rockies when they would literally be standing not even fifty feet away from you while you were eating the most delicious hamburger you've ever had in your life in Golden, BC. But I digress. Here are our Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep buddies:


Something about seeing the magnificence of wildlife makes you feel rather small...

Our next adventure of the day was to visit the Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings. Honestly, this was probably the least awesome part of our trip (well, excepting the ridiculously long drive, the vast majority of the time spent in Kansas), but when you don't have time to make it down to Mesa Verde, it will do in a pinch.





And we got to see some beautiful flowers:




That evening, we went to Seven Falls, named so because the waterfall actually cascades into seven falls. Creative, yeah? It's located in this gorgeaous canyon, and it's definitely best to go in the evening; you'll see the falls in their natural state during the day, but will also get to see the falls lit up once it becomes dark. To get to the top of the falls, there are a lot of steps. Steep, narrow steps, that is. I think I lost five pounds just climbing up said steps, not to mention to adventure down. I was able, however, to get some pretty shots of the falls at night.






We decided on Friday we would drive an hour southwest to Canon City to visit Royal Gorge, which was much cooler (not as in temperature) than I remember as a child. We rode the tram across the gorge, which was only slightly freaky at first when you realize the only thing holding you back from free falling to a stunning and dramatic death 1500 feet below at the bottom of the gorge is a small and simple cable. Really, not a big deal at all. We also rode the incline down to the bottom to see the Arkansas River and to wave and cheer on the white water rafters braving the rapids.









We spent a good portion of the day there, and when we arrived back in the Springs, we decided to go out to a nice restaurant to celebrate our anniversary (a few days early). We chose The Melting Pot, a place we'd heard a lot about from lots of friends, but not never experienced first hand. Oh my heavens, it was amazing. We had all of the courses, but all I can remember is the chocolate fondue because it was quite possibly one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. And the best part is the realization that there is a Melting Pot in Louisville. Yes.




Saturday was the Fourth of July, and since Colorado Springs cancelled their fireworks celebration because of budget cuts, we decided to visit the Air Force Academy and enjoy their show. We relaxed for the majority of the day because we were simply exhausted from all of our fun and we were still digesting all the Melting Pot food we stuffed into ourselves the night before. We did go back out to Garden of the Gods for a little bit and actually met a family from Cape Girardeau. So just like we did with the couple from Kansas City, we chit chatted with this family for a little bit before rain chased us away.




We braved the weather as best as possible, driving out to the Academy for their celebration. As we were walking down to the field where the event was to be held, the rain kept coming. And coming. And coming. And whoa, there is a lot of rain all of a sudden. And, um, that was definitely lightening right over there. Like five times...and really close. And what are they saying on the loud speaker? Run for your lives, you are all going to get struck by lightening and you are crazy for even attempting to come out here in this weather? Yeah, I think that's what he said...

So, needless to say, the show at the Academy was cancelled due to a 'severe lightening storm' warning, and fireworks in Colorado was an utter fail. But thanks to the modren marvel that is television, we got to watch the fireworks in DC. On PBS. Niiiiiiiice.

Sunday was the day we had to pack up and head home. I was really, really sad to leave the mountains and wish we could have stayed much longer. As one last hurah in Colorado, my wonderful husband braved the darkness which comes only right before dawn. We went to Garden of the Gods (yes, again- but I told you it was once of my favorite places in Colorado), and watched the sunrise over those glorious red rocks. Amazingly beautiful...






And then it was back to the good ole interstate (thanks, Eisenhower) for our trek back home, our car loaded up with souvenir magnets, two Colorado mugs (one with an awesomely cute bear on it), our new friends Cheyenne and Zeb, and quite possibly the coolest coffee table book ever. It was most definitely the vacation we needed...