swim-bike-run

last sunday we woke up before the sun to drive to El Dorado State Park for a triathlon.

for those of you who have not experienced race day,

the idea of getting up at 4:30am to go

swim 3/4 a mile,

bike 13 miles,

and run a 5K

probably sounds nuts.

 

 

but then you get to watch athletes of all ages and skill levels

push themselves physically and mentally,

and COMPETE against themselves and one another....

okay, you're right, it still sounds a little nuts.

 

but we do it anyway.

so apparently we're not the only crazies!

there are ALL kinds of people joining in on the fun madness.
seriously.
ALL kinds.

 

 

he came out of the water in 2nd place.

I love watching him swim!

then he transitioned to the bike.

he didn't feel great about his bike miles,

but it was windy and he is still figuring out all the ins & outs of his road bike.
 

 look at that smile :) impressive.

 he had quite the fan club for this race.

his dad, sister and niece were there along with my mom and grandma.

GO ROB!

 his smile has usually faded by the time he hits the run.

it's not his favorite,

but he still looks good doing it! ha.

sharing his medal with Melonie.

what a great uncle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good job, babe.

I'm always so impressed by your dedication to training

and your will to compete.
you're awesome.

 

who knows, you might actually inspire me to join you sometime.

might.

:)

 

 

something brewing

have you sensed that something was coming?
that something has been brewing in our life?

did you even notice that I hadn't blogged in awhile?  wait. don't answer that. :)

after I posted about 2013 and all the things I wanted more & less of--
one of those being to write more--
I went off the air for a bit.

sometimes I just need to hold things near to my heart.
so that I know that I'm listening to my heart instead of the opinions of others.
so I can tell if what I'm hearing is actually the Holy Spirit stirring, or if I just have anxiety.
I hold things near so that I can tell whose opinion and voice I'm listening to--God's or the worlds.

I've learned that this is important because I can get wrapped up in the opinions of others sometimes.
this might be a surprise to those who know me in real life,
because I am fairly independent and confident.
but the honest truth is that I still struggle with worrying about what others think.

so I've spent the last few weeks holding things close.
I am happy to report that I have been writing more. 
in my journal.
with a pen.
and cute curvy letters.






and after several weeks of writing,
listening,
talking with the hubs,
praying,
researching,
reading,
praying some more,
and dreaming up some BIG things,

we have an announcement.

one that I am beyond excited to share with you.

Rob and I are answering the call to adopt. 
yep. you read that correctly.
we are adopting!!!

isn't that exciting?!?!
we think so. :)
we are extremely excited.
and slightly terrified, as well, but mostly just really, really ready to bring home our babe.
(I know, I know....I have lots of waiting ahead of me....)

remember when I wrote this post in September 2011?
God is so cool.
He has been stirring this in my heart-our hearts-for a long time.

in the coming days and weeks I'm going to share lots of adoption stuff.
so get ready.
like it or not, here it comes.
considered yourself warned.

I'll share about telling our family and friends.
I'll share about how God brought us to this place and how/why we are so stoked to be growing our family in this way.
I'll share details and timelines.
I'll give you information on fundraising and how you can come along side us during this time. 
I'll probably post some videos and stories of other families that are growing their families through adoption.

I'll also share my fears,
my joys,
my questions,
and what I'm learning as we walk this path.

it is a journey. 
an adventure. 
but isn't that what following Jesus is all about?!
so, I invite you to come with us on this journey.
we'd be delighted to have you :)

will you?
will you share with us in this journey that will result in us being parents and an orphan finding a forever family?
we sure hope you will.
we can't wait to share it with you. 

with love,
rob and erica

grateful

I'm feeling grateful today.

Maybe it is all the "30 Days of Thanksgiving" posts that are filling up my newsfeed these days.

Or maybe I was stirred by the kind email I got from an old friend today expressing his thanks.

Or maybe it is just that after a really jam-packed few days, I am quieting myself enough to reflect on the goodness that it all around me.

my heart swells with thanksgiving.

that my cousin is healing after a weekend spent in the hospital with very painful gallstones.

that I live close enough to celebrate the engagement of one of the women that I count most dear in this world.

for an office with a view of Tabor's beautiful campus. with a window that allows in the warm rays of sunshine on a chilly day.

for a husband that makes me dinner after a long day at work. who helps me set up for an event that he has no direct responsibility for. and who even helps me hang window drapes on a Monday evening. yes. Monday. when there is football on. he truly is one of my very greatest blessings. he's good to me beyond what I deserve.

that I get to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of others. that I get to witness growth and change. that others trust me with their deepest fears, their struggles, their hurts and their joys. that I get the privilege of knowing people deeply. of celebrating with them and helping carry their burdens. that others invite me to speak into their lives. I never want to take this for granted.

for my family. they support me. they pray for me. they love me even when I am difficult to love. I'm thankful that we enjoy spending time together and that we will all get to do just that in only 2 short weeks! 

and most deeply, I am thankful for my Jesus. who loves me beyond reason. who calls me back to Him and invites me to walk closely with Him each day. who gave His life so that I could live. who gives me peace and joy despite my circumstances.

good stuff.

I am grateful.

summer recap #2: salida/crestone

last spring rob talked me into training for a 10k.
the furthest i had ever ran up to that point was 3 miles.
in college.

we settled on running a 10K in Salida during the
FibArk whitewater festival.

liz, the other autism teacher at rob's school, ran too!

not only was it a great place to meet our goal of running a 10k,
it was the perfect opportunity to get out of the city for the weekend.

which is good for this country girl's soul.
so good.

we stayed the weekend in Crestone.
nestled against the Sangre de Cristos Mountains (blood of Christ)
in a beautiful, charming casita (little house).

the casita belongs to my mom's best friend from high school.
her talented husband built the ENTIRE thing by himself.
wow.
i loved everything about it.
but my favorites were in the kitchen.

the old farmhouse sink.
blue spanish tiles.
handmade wood island.
copper pots hanging.
(copper reminds me of my mom's kitchen growing up)
wood beams.
and these doors.

these incredible blue doors.
old doors, painted and distressed.
my favorite shade of blue.
love!


we could literally walk out the front door and start hiking.
so that's exactly what we did sunday morning.



it was perfect.
the other day I looked back in my journal from the entry i wrote that weekend.
it started with...

"my soul is at rest. it took about 24 hours after escaping the city
to finally feel like my mind was clear and my spirit still..."

tracee and jim,
thank you for opening up your beautiful home.
it has become one of my favorite places.
you both have incredible taste and amazing talent.
thanks for sharing with us.
love,
erica and rob

summer recap #1: manitou springs

i'm going to do a series of summer posts.

we had a crazy, busy summer.
full of wonderful things,
just very full.

we started the summer off by celebrating
3 years of marriage
in manitou springs.

our first night we went to a melodrama/dinner theatre
i was really skeptical to start.
but it ended up being very funny and entertaining.
i laughed a lot.


we walked around downtown manitou.
swam and read by the pool.
hiked around Garden of the Gods.

haha. oh, robby. he's so hardcore :)
we were both really sunburned.
the hats were necessary.

on our way back to denver
we stopped at the castle rock outlets :)
a great way to start of the summer!
and celebrate 3 years with my incredible hubby.
blessed!

sunset tri

remember when i posted this?

well, here is the proof that he did it.
and he raised $150 for Autism Speaks.
thank you for all the donations!

first he swam 1/2 mile....

he came out of the water if 4th place
in his division (39 and under).
4th!
wow. he was fast.

super impressive!
next was the 17 miles of biking
he used his hybrid bike instead of a road bike.
so that slowed him down.

but he did it.
and now he wants a road bike for sure :)

next came the run.
3.1 miles to finish it out.

i was so proud of him.

his dad was there to cheer him on.

and at the last minute (literally...the very last minute)
my parents decided to come out for the weekend, too.

it was so fun.
beautiful weather.
smokin' hot husband.

good job, babe.
love you.

my husband rocks.

If I were to write a Top 10 For David Letterman, it would be

TOP TEN REASONS WHY BOBBY HAUDE ROCKS:

10. He makes me bacon and eggs every weekend morning. And helps with the dishes.
9. He gives great back rubs after I have a terrible week at work.
8. He is uber cheesy sometimes, which makes me smile.
7. He is the kindest, most patient man I know.
6. He loves children, no matter their race, intelligence level, disability, or specialty.
5. He is HOTT (yes, with TWO t's)....and he looks oh-so-fine when he is running and sweaty.
4. He is my favorite person to travel with and go on new adventures with.
3. He loves our family--all of them, all the time.
2. He loves Jesus and wants us to love Jesus well together.
1. He's mine. All mine :)

So, while we're celebrating the awesomeness that is my hubby,
let me tell you about what he's been up to lately.

He has been training for his first Triathlon.
and he is doing in to raise support for Autism Speaks.

He is passionate about Autism and the children/families that are affected by it.
see what I mean?
He's great, huh?!

Here's what he has to say about what he is doing:

There are 1 in every 110 children in the United States affected with Autism.
It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans may be affected with autism.

Autism Speaks has dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism. Autism speaks also advocates for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.

I have signed up to do a triathlon for a cause and have chosen Autism Speaks because I see everyday how difficult it is for these children and parents to cope with the effects of this disorder. These children struggle to communicate and build meaningful relationships, yet they still have so much life and joy.

I feel that there is a great need for our society to become better educated around Autism. My prayer is that our society will see individuals with Autism as unique in their own right and not as people with some unknown disability.

Maybe you personally know someone affected by Autism.
Maybe you don't. yet.
Chances are you will someday.
donate now to support this great organization
and the children & families it helps.

Thank you!

two-steppin'

rob bought me cowboy boots for Christmas last year.
and i have been waiting for a chance to use them on the dance floor.

turquoise!
nothin' says cowgirl, like some turquoise accented cowboots!


so in honor of my 27th year of life,
we hit up with Grizzly Rose.

and Kristen & Chad came along, too!

we heel-toed-dosey-dowed with the best of 'em.

here's a fun fact about me:
i really love to dance.
if you know me well at all, you already knew this about me.
but just in case you didn't know, now you do :)

and once I get going,
it is hard to get me to stop.

partner dancing is not only good exercise and really fun,
but it is really great practice for me when it comes to following.
and allowing others to lead.
ah-hem, allowing Rob to lead.

when we first hit the dance floor that night,
it was...well, a little rough.
let's just say he was scuffin' up my new boots!

I wanted Rob to lead, but I didn't think he really knew what he was doing.
which he didn't.
but he wasn't going to learn unless I let him figure it out.

he called me on it.
which I love. (honest, I do. I love that he calls me on my crap.)

allowing him to learn to lead meant I had to
be okay with mistakes,
and looking silly at times.
it meant i had to trust him.
and let go of my idea of what it "should be like."

this is difficult for me.
i'm being very honest here.

and now you have a better picture of our marriage!
:)

I love you, Rob.
Will you please lead me around the dance floor for the next 50+ years?
I would love to celebrate all the rest of my birthdays dancing with you.

'cause I'm country strong.

bobby haude and I went to the movies tonight.
and it was really good.
loved the music.
what can I say,
country music is in my blood.
it reminds me of home;
the longer I am away from Kansas,
the more I appreciate my country roots.

and look at Gwyn's boots! aren't they great?
i'm not even a huge fan of red...but those are great.
if I was a country music star,
I would have boots in every color.
dresses with cowboy boots are a great look.
that's why I am super stoked to go pick out my boots tomorrow!
(they ones bobby haude got me were too small)
don't worry. I'll post pics.

and this is Beau.
his voice in the movie was really great.
made me want to stay and watch it again.
just to listen to him.

okay. and maybe look at his eyes.
don't worry, I told my husband that I thought he had great eyes.
and a great voice.
I could say more, but I won't :).
i'll stop.
seriously though,
I think you should go see the movie.
it's a good one.
all you city slickers: don't hate on us country folk.
:)

LJ

Rob finally got to meet Lydia Jane
while we were in Kansas!

we met the Waldron family in Salina for lunch.
it was SO great to see them.

they are such dear friends to us.
we share so much with them and cherish their friendships.
and we love their sweet little girl.


we miss them and wish we got more time with them
but we hope and pray that our paths will soon bring us closer together.

i mean, look at those cheeks!
who wouldn't want to kiss them every day?
i know that i would!!!