happy holidays

The holidays are definitely upon us! I feel like I am so busy, and it's hard to believe that we will be traveling to Texas in TWO WEEKS! Somehow I managed to volunteer for both the Marathon Parade of Lights float and the Marathon Holiday Party. Only 5 floats in the Parade of Lights, and all were parked in the mall parking lot for people to drive by. Kinda pathetic but also amusing. :) Just another quirk about little ol' Dickinson. Marathon's float won, of course. The Holiday Party was another time consuming event. The flowers were gorgeous and karaoke hilarious. :) Weeknights are spent hosting Bible Study, attending Christmas parties, working out, and just relaxing. I'm trying to finish some sewing projects before the holidays, but I'm not sure how successful I'll be. I want to order Christmas cards but can't make a decision. It's cold here....-11 this morning. :) Days are super short....sun rises at 7:30 AM and sets at 4 PM...that's only 8.5 hrs of daylight. Bella loves laying by the fire and will eventually become so warm that she begins panting. :) We love our Bella. Some pics from the past couple weeks:

gorgeous floral arrangements at the Marathon party

love y'all!

white

We had a lot of snow this weekend, which means we are definitely in winter. The highs this weekend didn't pass 15F. Right now it's 1F but feels like -13. :) I haven't lived in the north long enough to not be phased by this, so of course I took pictures. :)

Caleb getting ready to shovel snow :)

Sweet Bella LOVES playing in the snow

see?

the typical house picture with snow :)

We went to a Charity Ball last night and had a wonderful time! The Aggies also beat Nebraska. WHOOP!!!!! Three days of work and then Thanksgiving weekend! Love y'all!!

recap

I'm blessed by my new job! It's a totally new transition for me. I went from Susie-Homemaker to Career Woman! I barely have time to read blogs and dream of my next sewing project, which is actually a little sad. I know I will get back to balancing the two, but the past four weeks have been chaotic. I'll try to summarize everything in one post so I can start fresh from today! :)

WEEK 1-2:

WORK! After my first week of work, I flew to Houston that Friday, spent the weekend shopping with my family, visiting friends and shopping. That next week, I worked in the Tower during the days and chatted over dinner with Sara, Angela, and Eric and Mel afterwards. I was finally able to meet sweet baby CJ and hug Cas and Gina at Houston's First Baptist Church. Seeing CJ brought me to tears. It was a moment of overwhelming realization that our Almighty Savior is one of Grace, Compassion, Power, and Love. He is sooooo good and hears our prayers! Gina was also my inspiration for blogging. :)

I flew home to Caleb, Bella, and Sam Jordan, Caleb's good Corps buddy that came to visit us in NoDak! We left Saturday morning for South Dakota and visited Sturgis, Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the Black Hills. It was beautiful!!! I also celebrated my 26th birthday that Sunday on 10/10/10!!!

WEEK 3-4:

After Sam left Monday morning, Caleb and I had three days of work. Wednesday night Donna, James, Eric, and Melody flew in to Bismarck and spent the weekend with us! The boys went pheasant hunting Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and they were even sweet enough to let the girls tag along Friday to "scurry" up the birds. Bella joined, too, having the time of her life. Unfortunately, her paws were so raw and her legs so tired that Saturday and Sunday were spent sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. I have never seen her so tired. We even had to wrap one of her paws so she wouldn't lick it and irritate it so much. Fortunately, she's back to herself and good as new. :) The weekend with the family was filled with so much laughter, love, ping pong, and delicious meals. We thank the Lord for our families everyday and miss them all so much. We trust that we are where God wants us to be, but we also look forward to the days where seeing family doesn't require planes and suitcases. :)

This weekend we are relaxing, doing laundry, cleaning/organizing the garage, and just getting stuff done! Tomorrow I am playing in a volleyball tournament, and Caleb wants to finish the front of the fence. The weather is beginning to cool off....highs in the 60s and lows in the 30s. The grass is no longer green and most of the leaves have dropped. Winter is just around the corner. :)

Love y'all!

employed

Well, I started my new job this week. I am the "Training Specialist" at Marathon. Yep, Caleb and I work at the same company now. :) It is a HUGE blessing to have this job, and so far it has been great! I am actually heading to Houston this weekend and will spend a week learning more about my roles and responsibilities. (I'm sooooo excited to see my friends and family!!)

So....I apologize for the delay in posting. Hopefully, I can get used to this working thing again. I've had the past five months off! I'm two-for-two on getting coffee ready and laying out my outfit the night before work. Let's see if I can keep this going. :)

Love y'all.

new love

Meet The Duo...the best-ever-grinder and it's sidekick, the best-ever coffee brewer. Note: This machine doesn't "make" coffee; it "brews" coffee. :)

Our GJ neighbors had this lovely setup, which impressed the heck out of me. I didn't enjoy the coffee from the coffee maker we owned and neither did my mom. Caleb thought our coffee maker (yep, the old one was just a "maker") was fine. Fine? I don't drink fine coffee. Does he even know me? just kidding :) This grinder is a Burr Mill Grinder. Apparently, the correct way to extract the intense flavors from the bean is using a Burr Mill Grinder. So all you who have a grinder....you might want to check on this! Chances are you have a "blade" grinder. The fancy "brewer" doesn't have a carafe, but instead a tank with a push lever to dispense directly into your cup. :) It even has a gauge to tell you how much coffee is left in the tank. :)

Life has been much sweeter since The Duo arrived in Dickinson. (Well, actually since this morning....turns out I was double filtering my grounds using both the paper and the metal filters...novice.) Thanks mom and dad for the birthday/house-warming gifts.

Second new love: Bluegrass

I've heard some bluegrass music and enjoyed it, but I didn't appreciate this music until last night. Wow. I am still shocked that such fine talent stopped through the "Western Edge of North Dakota." No offense, Dickinson. We spent two hours last night in a tiny room with 75 other people listening to The Blackberry Bushes. They won 2nd place at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2009. I still can't believe Telluride was only 90 miles from GJ and we never made it down there. Grr. This band could play their instruments like nothing else and their voices harmonized so beautifully.

We bought 2 of their CDs and this morning I'm listening to the Bluegrass station on Sirius. I feel like buying an old, used pair of boots and a cute old-fashioned polkadot dress. :)

ramblings

Caleb left this morning for Denver, so it's just Bella and me until Thursday afternoon.

I have three pieces of furniture to refinish, but I'm not sure how or where to start.

I finished one pillow for my "new" couch and two more to go. The 20 yards of white denim arrived, so my goal is to finish the slipcover before Caleb returns.

I cannot wait to organize my fabrics in my display case. I might do that within the next few days.

I have a floor lamp to spray paint, but I'm not sure on the color yet.

Bella is sleeping by my feet in the small patch of sun peaking through the window. She is exhausted after having her friend Rufus over last night.

It is perfectly beautiful today. Blue clear skies, temps in the high 60s, light breeze.

We haven't used the A/C for two weeks.

My friend Ruth came with me to church today. Afterwards we came back to my house and grilled chicken and made a yummy salad. We also had a warm lemon and honey drink.

We worked on the fence yesterday and actually got a lot finished. Sprinkler system and patio should be installed this week, so sod next weekend. :)

We got our new mattresses Friday and have had the best two nights of sleep since then.

There are bees everywhere. No nests. Just bees...and wasps. I was told by a local that they come out at this time of year. Interesting.

I got a job. The drug test required taking 120 strands of hair from my head. I'm a little upset about that. I can't disclose the company yet but I will as soon as I can. I have a tentative start date for Sept. 27. I'm really excited to get back to work.

My mom comes in 1.5 weeks. I am really excited about that, too.

That's all for now. Guess I'll finish up the dishes and get my craft on.

Hope you're Sunday is as beautiful and refreshing as mine. Love y'all. :)

alaska slideshow!!!!!!

We visited Alaska in July with our great friends, Michael and Angela, and it was perfect. Even though we lived in Colorado for almost two years, I have never seen anything like Alaska. It's Colorado on steroids. Perfect. We rented a 32 ft RV and cruised over 1200s miles of the great state. I wish we could have spent a couple of months there, but we still managed to get a lot in for 8 days. Hopefully this slideshow captures the incredible week to its fullest:

Alaska 2010 from Lindsey McElroy on Vimeo.

a good night

It is a good night.

Half the boxes are empty. Most of the closets are full. And I haven't the slightest idea about how to arrange the furniture...totally not my character.

But it's still a good night.

It may seem like an obvious statement, but our 'life' and routinechanges dramatically with each move. Relocating gives us the opportunity to make different choices (or 'changes') in our life without upsetting our routine. We don't know 'normal' anymore; we just lived in a hotel for 90 days.

We've been in this house for one week. One week without internet and cable.

And it's so good.

That's one of the 'changes' from our Grand Junction routine. But it's given us more freedom, time, and opportunities for discovering a 'new' routine.

So tonight? Well, I'm sitting on our deck, (which we didn't have in GJ), drinking wine (usual routine), listening to the John Mayer live album on our new outdoor speakers (totally a new luxury for us), and watching Caleb assemble his new gas grill (woohoo!). The weather is cool with a slight breeze, and I'm actually wearing sweats and a fleece. The (crank) windows are open to cool the house to the high 60s for a cozy sleep tonight. Bella is on her bed inside the house by the screen door (we had to put her in because she began hacking after consuming too many bugs...a new discovery for her).

I like this new evening activity for us. Summer is short, so this routine will change in a couple months when it's too cold to be outside. Instead, we'll be inside by our gas fireplace (couldn't do wood burning because there's no wood to burn in NoDak) still enjoying our music, wine, and peaceful evenings.

Life is good...even in North Dakota. :)

homeowners again!

So we checked out of the hotel, spent a fabulous weekend with both of our families, and arrived back in Dickinson Tuesday afternoon with enough time to close on the house. There are still a few things that the builder needs to finish up, but regardless, we are sleeping in our new house on an air mattress. :) One night I was lying in bed, listening to the music that plays throughout the entire house, and looking at every detail we chose....door style, wall color, counters, cabinets, trim, etc.....and I told Caleb, "I feel soooo blessed." Don't really know another way to describe it, just completely blessed and thankful. All of the stress, tears, excitement, anxiety, and lack of patience can finally move out because we have moved in! :)

Back to the weekend....we soaked up every minute we had with family. Thursday, Papa Jerry and Norma picked us up from the airport and had a break"feast" waiting for us at their house. I took a small nap, and then we looked throughout their museum of a house all afternoon. They have dollar bills from the 1800s, coin collections, hand-embroidered linens (which Norma was so gracious to give me), and so many other beautiful items. We had dinner with James and Donna that evening at a delicious Latin American restaurant. Caleb and I miss them so much and love all of our conversations. We spent Friday with Papa Ray and Mimi, preparing food for that evening, antique shopping (got my hands on a blue iridescent Ball jar!), and looking through Mimi's quilts. The rest of the family came over and I was able to show our Alaska slideshow.

Saturday morning we left for Lake LBJ. The weather was perfect and it was amazing to see family that I hadn't seen in years. Caleb could finally meet two more of my cousins, Tyler and Kristy and Kristy's two little sons. We spent hours in the sun, skiing, boarding, talking, and laughing. Saturday night my grandmother generously treated the family to a wonderful dinner at a nearby vineyard. I ate duck enchiladas with a dark chocolate sauce....one of the best meals I have ever eaten! Sunday was another wonderful day that led up to the intimate memorial service we had for my grandfather. All 17 of us piled on a pontoon boat with "grandpa's music" playing and we headed out to a remote spot. We said a few words, admired the sunset, and spread grandpa's ashes in the lake. So many tears and sadness, but also a celebration of his life and peace knowing he is with the Lord. We stayed out for a nighttime boat ride and danced in the boat to oldies music. :)

Goodbyes were especially hard this trip. We know we aren't living out of Texas forever and trust we are exactly where God wants us to be. We love our family so much and are overwhelmed with the love, support, and prayers they continue to provide. Caleb's family is coming up in October and mine soon after, and then we will be heading back to Texas for Christmas. :)

Just wanted to finish up with a few pics from the weekend. Wish I could have taken more. :)

the lake house....years of memories here :)

glad to be back on the lake with my man

enjoying the good water

cousins..minus Britteny and Kathryn

my sweet sweet grandma

Movers came this past weekend, so I'm super busy unpacking unpacking unpacking! Love y'all!

august

It's been pretty much the usual here. Caleb works, I monitor the house and make more decisions, we work out, and I sew. :) I finally finished Kacey's baby quilt!!! It is my first ever completed quilt, and I am so pleased with the result! I love the entire quilting process!

Caleb's 26th birthday was last Friday. We spent the evening with some other Marathon families, slept in Saturday morning, then shopped for a new mattress set and deep freezer. No purchases yet, but close to making a decision. Sunday, Caleb golfed and I went to a friend's to sew her curtains. We also took a large load of stuff from our hotel to a storage truck that is parked across from the new house because...

We have THREE....yes, THREE!!!....more nights in a hotel!! WOOHOO! But it will be another ten nights until we are in the house. Thursday morning we are flying to Texas to visit with both of our families and honor my late-grandfather's life with an intimate memorial service at Lake LBJ. We come back to NoDak Tuesday and close on our house that afternoon!

Today I am going for a round 2 job interview. I'm ready to get a job, but a little nervous, too. We will see! I'm relying on the Lord for getting a job and knowing whether or not it's the right one for me. One really awesome thing: the office is less than two miles from our house, which will be great for those really snowy days. :)

That's all for now. Love y'all!

life in a hotel

We close on our new home in THREE WEEKS! By the time we close, we will have spent 90 days in a hotel. Geez. I expected these 90 days to be miserable, but overall, I think we have survived quite well. Bella and I are starting to get a little tired of hotel living, though. Here's what our typical hotel lifestyle looks like:

- Letting Bella out to potty in the morning requires putting on decent clothes, walking down the hall and stairs, across the parking lot, and into the field to let her do her business. Then I have to pick up her poop with my hand in a bag every single time. Mmmmm.

- Caleb and I eat out for lunch every single day. We have found two lunch places that we love: Stix 'N Twigs and Badlands Brew. We also eat out for dinner most evenings. Again, maybe 2 restaurants that have somewhat healthy food. Besides the weird restaurants, diners, and fast food chains, I think we've eaten at almost every restaurant in town.

-The evenings we stay in? Well, I bought a two-burner hot plate from Wally World and we brought a few cooking items from before the move. I've cooked spaghetti, breakfast tacos, fish, stroganoff, lots of salads with chicken, and a few other dishes.

- The major indicator of when it's time for laundry is when Caleb is on his last pair of underwear. I lug my huge Rubbermaid bucket with supplies down the stairs to my car and head to the Coin Laundry down the street. I can do three super large loads of wash and dry in one extra large load for $9.00. Bella usually comes with me and hangs in the car while I'm switching the loads. :) We've also had some nice friends allow us to do a few loads at their house.

- To check the mail, I have to drive to the post office on the other side of town (about a 5 minute drive) and use a key to open our very own PO Box. :)

- I don't have to wash my own sheets or towels or make our bed. :)

- Our kitchen is equipped with a mini-fridge, microwave, itty bitty sink, and single-cup coffee maker. I will appreciate my new kitchen and appliances more than ever.

- We have TWO large flat screen TVs in the hotel, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. Caleb and I don't even own a flat screen TV, so this is luxury.

- Our hotel living room is crowded with camping gear, two bike racks for our cars, two mountain bikes, sewing stuff, buckets of shoes, and no closet....just a small bar for hanging clothes.

- Our view is the roof of the conference room below us.

- We play fetch with Bella in the room and bounce the tennis ball of the walls. :) Surprisingly, we've had no complaints about too much noise from her running. :)

On another note, the tornado sirens went off Monday while I was out for a run and Caleb was playing football. I sprinted for the car and drove to the field where Caleb was playing. Fortunately, no tornado, but it was sure looking like another crazy wall cloud. The guys played through the sirens, but decided the huge lighting directly over us might be dangerous. Boys. We've heard two sirens within a month. :)

We have really been enjoying our church and have made some great friends already. I'm ready to find a job, though, so I'm praying for that right now.

-Lindsey

sneak peek to our Alaska adventure

This is day 1 of the Alaska trip. We went Halibut fishing in Seward, and it was amazing! Caleb and I shipped 75 lbs of Halibut, Lingcod, Cod, and Rockfish to North Dakota....and we gave some away to the boat crew first. :) There was so much fish, and we can't wait to grill out once we're in our new home!

Definitely more pictures to come. :)

-Linds

progress

It's coming along!! We should be closing in 3-4 weeks!!!

almost tornado

Tornado sirens went off last night! This was right outside our hotel window! Fortunately, no tornado ever dropped, but this is a "wall cloud" which usually proceeds a tornado. Yikes! I wanted to take cover while Caleb wanted to stand by the window to watch. We took cover. :)

water dog

Well, our Bella loves the water! A couple weeks ago, we decided to go see Patterson Lake, which is only a couple miles from our new house. We found an unoccupied city park with a boat ramp and played fetch with Bella in the water. Here are some pictures of our kid in action:

this is how she sits (begs) when she really wants the ball thrown

great form :)

she finally learned to plane out

on a mission :)

Love y'all!

happenings

Well, I just got back from spending a weekend in Texas with my family. It was so great to be home. I'm not sure how much help I was to my grandma and mom, but it was good for me to be there. Not being at LBJ for a whole week after my grandfather passed was very difficult for me. I enjoy moving, meeting new people, and the adventure that comes with it, but I do get homesick, especially during times like these. I will miss my grandfather dearly, and I'm just praying for my grandma and the rest of the family during this time.

We have now been in North Dakota for almost four weeks. Hotel life isn't as bad as I thought, possibly because this room is huge! I have cooked a few meals on the hot plate, and I'm going to make a better effort to make dinner more often. Eating out for 7-12 meals/week can sure add a few pounds. :) We have traveled east to Bismarck and west to Medora, North Dakota's #1 Vacation Spot (that's what the billboard said). :) Bismarck has the basic chain stores, Kohl's, Target, Petsmart, TJMaxx, quilting shops, etc.....and these are exciting to me! Gone are the days of Banana Republic, J. Crew, Anthropologie, and Dillards. :) Medora is a super cute cowboy town and home to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We ate a burger, drove through the park, snapped some pics of buffalo and wild horses, and then finished with homemade fudge and ice cream. We also found a home church! Evangelical Bible Church is a cute, un-air conditioned church with a great worship team and super friendly pastor. We are looking forward to God's plan for our role in this place.

beautiful sunset coming back from Bismarck

wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Today? Well, the house is almost finished being framed, so I'm off to Bismarck to pick out spindles and a railing, a fireplace, stone for the outside of the house, roof shingles, faucets, garage doors, cabinets, and some light fixtures. Woohoo! I have so many ideas for this house, but it's our daily reminder that we will only be here a few years and that we are also 25 and not retirees. :) So it's a balance of making it a house we will love and also making smart decisions for resale.

And Friday.....as in 2 AM Friday morning, we are driving to the Bismarck airport for our 5:15 AM flight to ALASKA! We are stoked for this RV-road-trippin', halibut-hookin', salmon-fightin', glacier-climbin', sight-seein' vacation!!!!! WHOOP!

Love y'all!

grandpa

Last night my grandfather passed away. I loved him so much, and my heart is aching right now for my grandma and mom especially. We have peace that we will see him again. Our life on earth is so short compared to eternal life. My grandpa was 79 and just celebrated his 59th anniversary with my grandma. He loved his family and his dogs, and he knew the Lord and prayed. My memories on Lake LBJ will always include Grandpa. Memorial Day and 4th of July are holidays created for lake people like us. Gordon (or "Gordy" if we were giving him a hard time) made the best Bloody Mary's, called me Klutzky Lindsey every time I spilled milk (which always made me cry), drove his golf cart everywhere, and had the biggest most sensitive heart. My grandpa was a hard hard worker and a well-respected man.

This is not an easy time, but I know the Lord will slowly heal our hearts. Looks like I will be flying down in the next couple of days to spend time with my family. Love y'all.

north dakota

We're here!! Caleb and I said our final farewell to Grand Junction Saturday. We drove for 11 hours and stayed the night in Spearfish, SD. The next morning we had Panera Bread bagels (purchased in Fort Collins, CO), stopped at a coffee shop, and visited the historical fish hatchery. We viewed the biggest trout we have ever seen! I loved watching Caleb feed the fish and ooh-and-aww over the big guys. It was just like watching a little boy. I love him. :)

We finished the remaining 4 hours of the drive to Dickinson with beautiful weather and awesome views of the rolling plains. We drove through Belle Fourche, SD, which is considered the "Center of the Nation" since it is super close to the geographic center of the US. When we entered North Dakota, we stopped at the sign to take a picture. We were seriously in the middle of nowhere with hardly anyone on the highway, but the second after we parked by the sign, a greyhound bus pulled up behind us. Then a bunch of old black people filed off the bus, and a big lady says to Caleb in a southern accent, "Baby! Take my picture!" I looked over, and Caleb had multiple cameras in his hands with groups of people lining up for pictures. It was so random and hilarious! So I grabbed Bella (all crazy and super excited) and our camera, walked over and handed it to an old guy, and asked him to take our picture. Caleb picked up Bella and we stood under the sign and smiled! We got the heck out of there so that we weren’t stuck taking everyone else's pictures. As we drove off, I looked at our picture, and the guy missed half the sign that said "North Dakota"....so we entered "Dakota". Seriously?!?!?! It was so bizarre...like in Dumb & Dumber or something. :)

So we've moved into our home for the next two months, the Days Inn. :) We actually have a really large suite, but unfortunately there is only a microwave, mini-fridge, and small sink. I bought a hot plate at Walmart and a few groceries last night, so I can finally enjoy my breakfast and few snacks without leaving. I unpacked all the kitchen stuff, and tomorrow morning I'm going to tackle the six suitcases of clothes. Woohoo!

I'll continue to post the many exciting things about Dickinson. So far, I think we're going to be okay here. :)

Love y'all!

camping

The weekend before Memorial Day we went camping in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It was Bella's first camping experience and she did so great! She also discovered water, other than a bath, for the first time, all on her own decision!! We are so excited that she loves it!! We had reserved that particular weekend to camp the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, especially before the big move, and we are so glad we did that! :)

family picture

Sunday night after we got home from camping, our dear friends, the Allen's and Brumelle's, threw a going-away party for us. We were so touched and really enjoyed chatting with the many friends we made in Grand Junction. All of these people were an answer to our prayers, and I am now praying that we can continue these friendships as well as make new friends in Dickinson.

wonderful friends, minus a few families that left before the picture

yummy cupcakes that Kacey made :)

living in a hotel

My weekend in San Antonio was wonderful. My parents and I stayed up talking until 3 am the night I arrived. Thursday my mom and I met a great friend of mine from high school, Colten, and his mom and girlfriend for lunch. We then did some mother-daughter shopping, and I found TWO pairs of awesome jeans on sale at Anthropologie....LOVE that store! :) Afterwards, the family met at my brother's house, and we enjoyed a wonderful evening of pizza, wine, and talking. :) Friday we slept in and then went to the lake to spend the second half of the day with my grandparents. It was soooo good to see them as well as my cousin Clayton. Saturday we met my friend Ashley for lunch and then did some shoe-shopping....got TWO pairs, visited my aunt, uncle, and cousin with her new baby, visited Marie and Nina, and then had dinner at my parents with my brother and Britteny. Sunday we went to lunch with more family so that I could give my cousin Jordan one last hug before she moves to Italy for three years!

My good buddy: Colten

I miss and love these two sooooo much.

I returned Monday afternoon missing family but realizing I had so much to do. We packed all day, and the movers arrived Tuesday at 8 am. They stayed until 6 pm that night filling boxes, wrapping pictures, and loading furniture. They finished loading the truck Wednesday at 11 am, and then I spent the remainder of the day cleaning the house. We said our last goodbyes, reminisced over great memories, and visualized our first days in that home. We are sad to leave, but so excited for the new house.

There goes all our stuff!

So, we have moved into our new home for the next 2.5 weeks: The Residence Inn. :) I barely slept in today, even though I had every intention to...thanks Bella. I have to cancel cable, set up a PO Box, and shop for sound-cancelling head phones......oh that's right, I fly to Dickinson, ND tonight. I have an interview for the Assistant Director of Alumni and Donor Relations at Dickinson State University. :) Truly by the grace of God I was able to apply and even receive an interview. I arrive at 10 pm tonight, and then begin my 5 hour itinerary first thing in the morning. The job sounds so wonderful, exciting, different, AHHHH! I am so nervous!

Prayers appreciate. :) I'll keep you posted. Love y'all!

thunder

I'm sitting on the couch in the living room I grew up in, watching tv with my parents, and drinking coffee. Given the amount of light coming through the windows, it feels like 6 am...but it's actually 10 am. Thunderstorms are slowly moving through the area, the sky is dark, rain is pouring down, lightning flashing, and thunder roaring. Awesome. I feel like a little kid. We have the front door open so that the rain and thunder are louder. It's just a reminder that God is powerful, almighty, and so so big.

Grand Junction doesn't get "thunder" storms, just rain, but Dickinson sure does. Just another thing to look forward to. :)

recent travels and decisions!

The first week in April was spent in Cabo celebrating Karen's bachelorette party. The week was filled with sun, pina coladas, laughter, girl talk, reading, nail polish, great food, massages, and beautiful views! It was so good to have a relaxing week, especially since all of May is crazy busy! We cannot wait for her wedding in Blue Ridge, GA Memorial Day weekend!!

Enjoying the cold blue water!!

Crazy girls posing as mermaids! :)

Group shot before dinner on the beach!

One day after I got back from Cabo, we left for Dickinson, ND to find a place to live. We saw every possible housing option (probably 6 or 7 total) within our price range in one day. Dickinson has a population of only 17,000, and apparently, an estimated 500 new families will move there in the next year....hence the reason for the housing shortage. Every "good" house usually sells within a week or so, and it just so happened that nothing to our liking popped up when we visited. We searched online for houses the week before we left, and all of our top choices sold before we arrived. So......we're building!!!! We are soooo excited about this! Our first home was built in 1923, and our second home will be built in 2010. Ha! They break ground later this week, and we should move in late July or early August. The Lord totally provided an extra special blessing: we found out on Friday that Marathon extended the temporary living from 45 days to 90 days (due to the housing shortage), which means we will be living in Marathon's corporate apartment until the house is finished! Huge!! We are stoked about picking out our cabinets, flooring, counters, paint colors, etc, and some other features we are even more excited about include: 3-car garage (we couldn't use our garage in GJ), paved driveway (gravel in GJ), heater and drain in the garage (for snow melting off the car!!), a more open floor plan, one extra bedroom and bathroom, speakers throughout the house, a fireplace (also didn't have this in GJ...apparently it doesn't get cold enough?!?!), more closets, etc.!!!

Similar to what our house will look like except the color, stone choice, and add one more garage stall.

Coming into the town of Dickinson! :)

Wednesday night I'm flying to San Antonio to spend a few days with my family and hopefully see some friends, and Caleb will be heading to College Station for Final Review at A&M. We get back Sunday night, the movers come to pack up our house on Tuesday, and we close on this house Thursday, May 20th. Because we don't actually move to Dickinson until the first week in June, we will be living in the Residence Inn in Grand Junction. We have to set aside items that we can live off of until we move into our new home in August, and everything has to fit into my car (with Bella). We will also be able to stuff some things into Caleb's car, which the moving company will deliver to Dickinson. So we have to pack for three months, including our gear for camping, mountain biking, Alaska trip, and my sewing! Not sure how I'm supposed to do this?!?!

So today's plans? Running errands around town, canceling cable and internet, getting my hair highlighted, and packing for the big move!

Love y'all!

paradise

12 pm Saturday I leave for Cabo. :) I get to spend 7 days with the most beautiful girls soaking up the sun and celebrating Karen's last few days as a single lady! Bright nail polish, tropical-smelling tanning oil, sand in my toes, fish tacos, laughter, dancing, and relaxation. I. cannot. wait.

HOLLA!!!!!

perfect weekend

Saturday morning Caleb and I woke up with nothing on our immediate agenda for the first time in months! It was fantastic! We made coffee, grabbed our morning devotional, Alaska vacation planner, and Pottery Barn catalog, and spent the morning on our porch. The windows were open, and the air was the perfect temperature: cool enough to wake you up but warm enough to keep the goosebumps away. Truly pleasant. We turned the sprinklers on for the first time since being winterized, met the neighbors, went for a nice run, and then packed up the car to head to Vail. Sunday was closing day at Vail, and it was perfect spring (almost summer) skiing. I wore a short-sleeved shirt and a thin jacket. The snow was super soft but not too slushy, and the slopes were filled with crazy locals dressed in bizarre costumes. We saw Santa, a couple 80s brides, Superman, a prom couple, a few bananas, a few banana hammocks (yikes!), and lots of crazy ski tights and capes. Hilarious! We watched a pond skimming contest, which was insane, and then we waited at the top of Vail Mountain for the dynamite to go off, which signals the end of the season. We were only 50 yards from the dynamite. With the first explosion, the air hit my face before the noise went off. CRAZY! We had a relaxing drive back to Grand Junction and then back to work this morning. Tuesday night we are hosting dinner night (tacos and strawberry pizza), and Wednesday is my last day of work. Holla!!!! The inspection on our house is this Wednesday, so prayers for that will be greatly appreciated. :) Then....Saturday I'm off to Cabo for a WEEK to celebrate Karen Koop's last few days as a single lady! I'm stoked!

Pictures from the weekend:

Our cousins Tim and Melinda

Crazy costume, dude!!

What?!?!

Huge crowds at the top of Vail Mountain.

Enjoying the sun on the chair lift!

Truly thankful for the Lord's blessings. Love y'all!