what march looked like

this is what my March looked like:

the first weekend of the month I took a solo road trip back to Colorado. 

I realized that it was the first long trip I'd taken by myself in years. 

it was really, really wonderful. 

don't get me wrong, 

I love traveling with my hubby, 

but it was just really great to have all that time to just think and pray and talk on the phone and listen to this book on my kindle. so, so good. 

I drove to ft. collins and stayed the night with kristen. 

we ate breakfast and spent the day walking & shopping in the sunshine.

 

 

glorious. look at that sunshine. 

saturday I drove down to Denver and stayed with the lovely Holmes family. 

their house is one of my favorite places. 

probably because they are one of my absolute favorite families. 

and emily has really awesome style. :)

we ate yummy food and laughed and had great conversation. 

it was goooooood. 

 

i apparently forgot to take ANY pictures though. 

boo. 

monday of that weekend I had a three hour coffee date with taryn. 

she's awesome. 

her and her husband mentored rob and I for over a year. 

it was transformational for us. and we love them dearly. 

on my way out of town, 

I visited Excelsior for a few hours

and was reminded once again why I LOVED working there. 

I miss those people something fierce. 

it was seriously one of the best jobs ever. 

challenging? exhausting? difficult? yes. 

but still. I loved it. 

my weekend trip to Colorado was my early bday present to myself. 

and it was so great. so so great. 

as I drove back to Kansas I felt energized and refreshed. 

I also felt secure and confident, 

knowing that Kansas is "home" for us. and that it is GOOD.

but that I'll always have a place and piece of me in Colorado. 

which, it was really great that I came back feeling refreshed

because march was full of challenges emotionally. 

we JUMPED into the adoption process.

we contracted with our agency--and then I proceeded to freak out for about 24 hours.

we started working on our dossier--and I made a note book to keep my from panicking. 

 

 

we got fingerprinted and sent in all our back ground checks for our home study.

it's been a journey already!

and, you guys, we are only about 6 weeks in. yeesh!

this is what my nightstand looks like most of the time. 

 

and ever evolving mound of books. 

I added these to the piles, as well. 

my mom and brother also came to kansas for a visit. 

rob and I spent a weekend in wichita hanging out with them

and these cuties:

 

 love. love. love.

naked blonde baby.

finger sucking blonde boy. 

cuddles for all. 

so so great. 

for christmas I bought haven this DVD.

bahaha!

I loved this when I was a kid. 

sage, my brother, apparently did not. 

he does not even remember it. 

go to YouTube and type in Wee Sing in Sillyville. Do it. It's worth the laugh. 

and then you will understand why Mackoy was doing this:

"I'm SUPER FROG!"

 

"Have you ever seen a frog, walking a dog?!"

"A frog, walking a DOG?"

we may have sang those ridiculous songs for hours. 

i may or may not have video to prove it :)

I love being an aunt. 

and I can't wait for our kids to play with their cousins.

and giggle and dance and act silly with us. 

I dream of that day. 

 rob went to Cali for a week. 

my mom came to stay with me and we got busy on the basement. 

I spent lots of time with friends. 

I met new friends. 

like this lovely lady who is waiting and praying for her boys to come home from Ethiopia. 

I ran not enough miles in preparation for the half marathon on may 5.gulp.

march was full. 

march was good.

 march has come and gone.

 and here's to hoping that april is jsut as full. 

but maybe not quite as busy. 

maybe?

in my draft box

I found this in my draft box from last October.
I don't remember writing it,
and I'm not sure what stopped me from posting it then.
but in light of how I've been feeling lately,
I've decided to post it. 

we were in kansas this weekend. 

it was good. 

there is something about being with people who know you. 

good. bad. ugly. 

i saw a friend that i hadn't seen in over three years. 

i got to hug her and talk to her and laugh with her.

it made me miss home. 

i know home in many ways home is denver. 

with rob. 

where we are together. 

yet...my roots go deep in kansas. 

and i am okay with that.

Crazy. On so many levels. 
Last October I longed for Kansas.
And yet sensed we were staying in Denver.
This October I long for many things about Colorado, 
yet sense that we are suppose to be in Kansas. 

Not sure what this means. 
about me.
about God.
about life. 

I guess I'll just take it as it is. 
and be thankful.
and choose to see the beauty in living in a place that I have roots. 
I'm still excited about rebuilding the friendship with the friend mentioned above. 
who knows what God has in store there. 
but I do know that God is at work. 

in my heart. 
in my life. 
in those around me. 

and I'll choose to see that
even on my most difficult of days.      
 

t-36 hours

i've decided that this whole 1/2 marathon thing
is going to be an exercise in discipline.
spiritual discipline.
as i've read Scripture the last few weeks,
i've been reminded of all the race/running metaphors.
and how important discipline and perseverance are.
that's kept me going during this training phase.

 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

yes, I'll consider Him
and I'm not going to lose heart,
even though this is going to physically difficult.

the feeling I have right now reminds me of being a freshman in college
and showing up for my first basketball workout.
my competitive side makes me want to not just finish,
but finish well.

college basketball taught me that
i can push my body far beyond the limits that my mind has in place.

one of my dad's most infamous lines has always been,
"it's all mental"
when he was teaching me to drive at age 14
(gotta love those farmers' permits!)
he would poke me and do things to intentionally bug/distract me.
when i complained he once launched into this whole spiel about tiger woods and mental toughness...

he wanted me to be mentally tough.
and I'm thankful for that.
it has paid dividends in my life so far.

"In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."

it's been awhile since I have pushed myself the way I will this Sunday.
but I'm up for the challenge.

I'll let you all know how it goes :)

it's time to Rock 'N Roll!!!

Happy 30th, friend!

Today is Keppers birthday.

love this girl.
I thank God for her.
she is real. honest. beautiful.
and we have a lot of fun laughing together.

and a bonus is that we also have a lot of fun with her and her bf chad.

We celebrated on Saturday with an
almost surprise party at the Yard House Downtown.
She figured it out a few minutes before we walked in.

dang it!

then we went out dancing at the Cowboy Lounge.
yah! you all know how I love dancing! :)
it was a blast.
we stayed out to a ridiculous hour....


and spent most of the day Sunday recovering. ha!

but it was totally worth it to celebrate her wonderful life.
and get to dance with my hubby.

Happy Birthday, Kristen.
you make 30 look fabulous.
excited to see what adventures and memories the next year will bring!

summer recap #3: the zoo

my family all came out to visit this summer.
all the way back in June.
(only about 3 1/2 months behind. not bad, right?!)

we spent one morning introducing
Mackoy to all the animals at the zoo.




these pictures make it look like the child is neglected, huh?



don't worry.
he's not.



we all make sure he gets plenty of attention.


we did have stroller around.
mostly for carrying our bags.
but it came in handy during nap time.

all that pointing, talking, running, laughing, watching....
it will wear a person out!

Mackoy napped and we all enjoyed a picnic lunch.
it was perfect weather for a day at the zoo.

sage was in charge of protecting Mackoy from the geese.
no joke.



it was a great day at the zoo.
full of lots of joy!

i'm ready for them to all come visit again.
hint. hint.

get what you give.

we saw zac brown band at redrocks two weeks ago.
so. much. fun.

they were awesome.
super talented.
i've been listening to their cd all summer.
so when i heard they were coming to Red Rocks...it just seemed perfect :)

they opened with this song.
and the crowd went wild.

She'd trade Colorado if he'd take her with him, Closes the door before the winter lets the cold in, And wonders if her love is strong enough to make him stay, She's answered by the tail lights Shining through the window pane

and then they played their cover of the DevilWentDownToGeorgia.

it was better than this video.
because it was redrocks and a live concert.
but you can get the picture of how talented their fiddle player is.




it was drizzling rain throughout the whole concert.
not enough to get wet, just enough to add ambiance.

we stood the entire time.
dancing.
singing.
loving every minute.
it was on my summer list to go to a concert at RedRocks.
and Zac Brown was the perfect choice.

KP went with us. i love this girl. so much.


great location.
great company.
great seats.
incredible music.
they put on a great show.
gosh, i'd go again tonight if i could.

for now i'll just listen to this song and quiet my mind. :)

and enjoy the ride!

rmnp

this was our 4th summer in colorado
and rob finally made it up to
Rocky Mountain National Park.

we stayed the night in Estes Park
after his tri
and then drove up into the park
to do some hiking and fishing.

still goofy after 30 years.

my parents hadn't hiked since our family vacation
to Yellowstone in 1998 (or something like that)
i had braces then, that's what i remember.

and my mom's last hiking experience was....
well, let's just say, she wasn't lovin' it.
and we caught it on video. HA!
but this time she did awesome!

it was quite the trek up to the lake,
so mom and dad decided to head back early to do some
reading and resting.


but the Robert Haudes and I
made it all the way up to Fern Lake.
the hike up was beautiful.
as was the view at the top.


we spent some time fishing.

yes, even I fished.
a little.
I like to cast.
and I even caught a fish!
rob and his dad spent a lot of time tying flies.
haha. they lost them or they didn't use the correct ones.
i think there was probably more fly tying than fly fishing.

we've moved.

again.
we moved in April to a new apartment.
yes, April.
and I'm just now posting pics.

well, i'm just now posting ANYTHING. ha!

we've had a busy summer and i have lots of things to post.
and hopefully I will be more inspired
(I almost used "disciplined," but really I want to be INSPIRED) to blog.

here's to hoping.

anyway...for now, let me give you a tour of our home.

I decided that this time
(we've moved 4 times in 3 years of marriage)
I was going to paint.
no more white-washed world.

I need COLOR!

my incredible mother and grandmother came out the day before
to help us.
on their birthday weekend (their bdays are two days apart)
they helped me pack my entire kitchen.
choose paint colors.
paint the entire master bed/bathroom, dining/living room, and kitchen.

rockstars.

after working all day, rob jumped right in to help with the kitchen.

after 8 hours of painting, we were still smiling!

so thankful for them.
and for color on the walls!

now for the tour:

when you walk in the front door, the kitchen is immediately on your left.


and the dining table on your right.
i'm going to get these floating shelves from our new IKEA for the blue accent wall.
they were sold out when we went last week.

this great consignment store find (thanks, mom!) stylishly stores
all my crafting/scrapbooking goods.
it's hard to tell in the pics, but the walls are "celery green"

the dining/living area is one open (very large) space.
which we love.
I painted the mantel and fireplace edging black.
(it was white....like every.thing.else in the entire place.)
and the piece of furniture next to the TV is another great consignment store find.

I'm looking forward to using the fireplace when the snow comes.
cuddling on our cozy new couch.
yes, you read correctly. new.

we couldn't get our big, beautiful brown couch up to our 3rd floor apartment.
we tried everything short of cutting it in half or
rigging some sort of pulley system to hoist it over the balcony.
i was sad. very sad. it was our first big purchase after we got married.
but it went to a good home where we can visit it whenever we like. :)

and now we have this lovely sofa.


we got the light brown chair at the consignment store (are you noticing a theme here!)

and the funky leaf chair was a happy present/gift from my grandma.
she's so hip, huh? :)


the apartment has two beds & two baths.
which is the most space we've ever had.
and we've definitely used it this summer with our visitors.
the spare bedroom isn't really decorated yet, so I haven't taken pictures of it yet.

but here's our master bed/bath:

the walls are called "icy blue."
they almost look lavender, at times.
very soothing.

the dresser that we bought and refinished (well, ROB refinished!)

look at all that counter space!
we went from having NO counter space. literally none.
to ten feet of it. oh yeah.

and two walk-in closets.
the door on the far left leads into our shower/toilet.

and that is all for now.
The only thing I have left to show you is our guest bed/bath.
I'll be honest. i have no idea when that will happen,
but I'll put it on my list! :)