200 miles along Historic Route 66!

On June 1, 2012 the day was finally here. The day to leave for my 10 day adventure across Historic Route 66! It has been a full week since I made it home from this adventure. I can't believe it! Not a day goes by where I don't reflect on a special time I had, a fun memory or a moment where God clearly revealed to me that ... He is going to take care of me! Here are a few pictures from the trip. I made a few collages to combine all the pictures... click on them to make them bigger. I took a total of 450 pictures... Thats a LOT. Every day by the time we settled down my phone was DEAD! Poor thing hasn't been used that much... ever! I'll fill in details after each picture! 

 This was right before we left. My sweet husband got up and took me to The Rock at 6:00am! We were there just a few minutes when I realized I forgot my snazzy zebra pillow! I knew I couldn't survive with out a pillow... so my precious husband zipped home and picked it up for me just in time for us to pull away.

Beside the picture of us is a COOL picture of the bikes all loaded up. There were 33 bikes all securely locked down and held in place. It was a work of art watching the 'bike loading crew' work their magic as they locked down our precious wheels.

 Our first stop was near and dear to my heart. TEXAS... as we crossed the Texas state line my heart swelled just a bit with pride and my twang got a little more noticeable. At this point I was still nervous... not being my typical loud obnoxious self. Texas warmed me up. I was the ONLY one excited to be in the Lone Star State. I demanded that my picture be taken with DQ memorabilia. It was at this DQ stop that my personality started coming out... I ordered chicken strips as well as one of the young-uns on the trip. (Micah) Well this creep took off with MY chicken and fries!! I was left standing there waiting and waiting with the lady calling number 23 or something like that ... I said well that looks like mine but my number is 18!! We figured it all out and healed my hurt with ice cream. It was a beautiful moment but I vowed from that point on that I will not let some high school goof ball get away with taking my food again!! Thus... the real "Heather" made an appearance!

The first night we slept in a church in New Mexico. The church was pretty and clean and even had showers! Many blew up their air mattresses and spread out. I was SO tired... that I just spread out on a church pew about half as wide as me. And I slept like a baby. It was beautiful. 

The next morning we were greeted with this beautiful sunrise on the way to Arizona! 

The fist night in CA. We arrived in CALIFORNIA ready to go!! Our first stop was Downtown Disney!! I had a great group of guys that I was hanging out with. My favorite place was LEGOLAND!! It was so fun seeing so many of my favorite Disney characters made out of legos. Look at Genie and Abu... don't they look just like the movie!? 

The next day we went to DISNEYLAND!! It was amazing!! These were the guys I hung out with ... we called ourselves the "Non-ride-riders!" We preferred the slower, flatter, uneventful rides. Well that was until they fooled me and got me on the Indiana Jones Ride (go to 4:30... I didn't take the video but it almost adequately describes the fear I felt... just add LOTS more screaming!!) Jonathan, Trey and Cliff you were a BLAST to hang out with ... even if you did send me into a panic attack on Indiana! I had a perfectly wonderful day at Disney with you gentlemen! 

This was the parade at DisneyLand! So much fun! I watched it both times. It was like watching my favorite Disney movies come to life in front of me!! 

The flowers around DisneyLand were BEAUTIFUL!! 

Our first ride!! We rode 25miles on Santa Monica Pier. I did the whole ride with out COFFEE... BIG MISTAKE!! My first stop at the pier was to find some sweet caffeinated goodness!! The beach was beautiful. The weather was cool and overcast. Perfect for the first day! I forgot my ball-cap in my suitcase. :( So I rocked the fuzz head... Oh well! The day was fun and worth it. My favorite part was looking at all the Beach Houses and dreaming of what it would be like to live in one. I almost fell in love with the beach!! 

After our short time at the beach we took a tour of Los Angeles with Mike the Poet as he has called himself. At the end of our tour he treated us to his rendition of his poem I'm Alive in Los Angeles. Take time... listen to it. It will change your life. Or stick in your head forever! UGH... I'M ALIVE IN LOS ANGELES... 

The tour was good and "Mike the Poet" knew his stuff. We passed places such as the hotel were Whitney Houston died. The church were Marylyn Monroe is buried. The tattoo parolor where LA INK is filmed. The STARS. We rode on a double decker bus and had to dive to avoid being whacked in the head with lower lying tree branches but it was fun!! This is where I got my first sunburn of the trip ... on my thighs. UGH... But totally worth it! I'd do it again... maybe with someone other than Mike the Poet though.

I don't remember what day this happened. I did a HORRIBLE job of taking notes and keeping up with the days. But... one day we were driving in our "family" van and started dodging pieces of tire flying at us. We called the "guys" van in front of us to see if they knew what was going on. They said they didn't see anything. This narrowed it down... it was from them!! YIKES! So what do men do when there is a flat... they change it. Here are the steps:

1. Get a call from the van with the GIRLS that there is a problem.

2. Deny that there is a problem.

3. Pull over and assess said "problem".

4. Submit to the idea that yes... there is a problem.

5. Sniff, spit, burp and grunt while stargazing how to solve this problem in the most manly way.

6. Look for jack to lift trailer and don't find it.

7. Unload trailer.

8. Gather all the muscles you can find and LIFT!

9. Slide spare tire on.

10. High-five and grunt some more at the end of your accomplishment!!

Ok so that might not have been what happened... but that was the play by play going on in my head behind the drivers window. It was entertaining.

 One of these days we went to THE GRAND CANYON, I'm not going to lie... I didn't know what to expect. I'm NOT a nature person. I'm not an outdoors person (here is where you raise an eyebrow and thing... yet you are on a 200 mile biking trip...) and I am not a heights person. We got there and I found my group of "safe" friends. Cliff and Sarah were great. They were fun. We lingered near the railing for a while and watched our crazy friends stepping closer and closer to the edge. My initial thought was ...

"those fools are crazy."

"Someone is gonna die!"

 "HOLY COW... hold on to the little guys!!"

 Then they turned into...

"Wow... they are brave!"

"Look what God has created!"

"I should do this... I might never be here again."

Eventually I was leaving Cliff and Sarah behind and yelling at some of the brave guys saying

"Go again!"

"Take me with you!"

"Help me be brave!"

It all started with me hanging my eyes over the edge of a cliff... my bottom was very dirty... and my shorts look awkward but it was fun! Then I became more and more daring and decided to walk to the edge. I did it. It was amazing... one of my favorite pictures from the trip. Me on the edge... one step to the left or the right and maybe 2 steps back and I was a gonner!

My favorite part about The Grand Canyon was the majesty that it declared. I couldn't help but hear the verse:

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out!"

Luke 19:40

The Grand Canyon declared the Glory of God and His creation. It was beautiful... which leads me to my next collage.

 These are just a few of the outside pictures I took. Some from The Grand Canyon, some from The Blue hole in AZ, The natural water park in AZ, The beach in CA, Trees in CA and a beautiful Arizona sunrise. The scenery was absolutely amazing... There is no way that the Lord didn't personally paint these pictures...

 The second to last day we were back in Texas. I felt HORRIBLE this day. HORRIBLE! The night before we stayed in a hotel that was "historic" and our AC wasn't exactly cold. I laid in bed all night just wishing I had the energy to get up and puke. The next day was NOT good... I started off feeling yucky and it didn't get better for a while. I made the fist leg of the ride. Wishing so badly that I wasn't so hard headed and could willingly just "pack it in"! However I kept going... at one of our stops two of our leaders Ken and Roger came over and prayed for me. Asking God to give me the strength and energy to finish the miles. This was one of our big rides (55 miles I think) and if I didn't make this then I would not make a big chunk of our miles. The Lord showed Himself yet again in my life and I was feeling better... not great but better. I made it. I cried. I pushed myself. But I made it. Ken and his son (one of our best friends) Andy rode with me over half the time. They made sure I was ok. Making excuses to stop and get drinks or find shade. I made it. It was amazing. It felt good. It hurt like H***! But I made it. At the end of the ride we went to The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo Texas there we were able to "make our mark" (More on that later) and it was a blast. I still didn't feel great but it was fun to watch everyone work on their 'tagging' skills!

 I think this was the last day of the ride. We stopped here on our way to CA and our way back. Roys use to be a hopping joint back in the 50's and 60's. I'm sure many the icon stopped by here to pick up a pop as they drove Historic Route 66.

These are my new friends. I left on this trip knowing all of maybe 4 people. Now I feel like I know all 36 of the others that went with us well! I wouldn't take back a single thing. I made memories that will last a life time. I have truly been blessed buy each of them.

Every day before we left for our ride we circled up for a prayer and some encouraging words. Ken selected a person to "blow the trumpet" as a way of a send off for the day. Each day it was fun seeing who would be picked. The last day he picked me. He said and I quote "She brings out the Humanity in us all"! Not sure what that means... but it was an honor to send us off on the last day. The last day was amazing. It felt good oh so good to cross that finish line. I cried. I did it! I honestly didn't think I could.

When we left I thought we were doing 275 miles. I am not sure where I got that number... it was only 200 miles but they were well earned. I plan to get another 75 in this summer as i continue taking "JiJi" out for some spins around town.

Thanks for all your prayers and encouraging words as I prepared for and took on this challenge. I still can't believe I did it!

To summarize this trip:

We traveled 3,400.5 miles by car to California and back to Oklahoma from June 1-10, 2012. Thrity-two amazing bicycle riders ages 11-70, rode 200 miles in five different states, traveling along Historic Route 66. We rode along the beach, highway and through the Mojave Desert! I am overwhelmed with emotion as I look back and think about each of those miles, weather it be by car or bike! There were so many who were part of our team, not just the cyclist... but the amazing support team. They took special care of each of us. When I got my sunburn on day 3... sweet Melody was there to see that I was doused in sunscreen at every stop, even offering to let me wear her pants so I wouldn't keep burning! All the riders had to do is say "I need..." or "I want..." and it was there by one of these 4 women. They held us when we were hurting, toughened us up when we were whining, fed us when we were hungry and encouraged us when we were ready to quit. More than once Shannon pulled up beside me in the van and cheered me on! I know they were praying for us every peddle of the way as well as many others back home.

I am already looking forward to next years trip... and rumor has it we are heading to Chicago! I say we do a good 300 next time. I want to keep pushing myself as much as I can as long as I can. This trip was not only good for me physically but it was amazing for me spiritually and emotionally. I was surrounded by such amazing leaders who never hesitated to pour into me at the first opportunity. Any time I had a question about anything from biking, what happens next or anything about the Bible ... someone was there with sage insight.

Thank you all for the privilege of being part of The Rock's Historical 20th Anniversary event!!

I know feel as though I am part of the crew at On The Rock Ministries!

A moment I'll never forget!

A couple weeks ago Andrew mentioned that him and his dad were going to meet in Tulsa at the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel to watch The Patriot Cup, a golf tournament where pros are matched with Military Veterans. Sounded lame-sauce to me... but whatever. (My favorite way to watch golf is when its on TV, behind closed eyes. I get my BEST naps that way.)

I asked who all was going to be there... if Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy (who has his own website), or Tiger Cheater Woods (who I am not a huge fan of but hey... I know who he is), were going to be there then I might have asked for a ticket my self. However, he assured me that they wouldn't. This wasn't "that big of a tournament"! So I said great, I'll drop you off at the casino and then run around town while you do that... I had plans to drive around town, maybe check out Target and then to go to Barnes and Noble  where I would sit, look trendy with my coffee, glasses, iphone and mac... all while catching my blog up. (Hopefully finally posting about this upcoming bike trip.) Well I am now sitting at B&N with coffee, glasses, iphone and mac, and I AM blogging... but the Bike trip can wait.. 

We got to the Casino a bit early and I decided to go inside and visit with my Father In Law a bit before heading "to town,"...  

SIDE NOTE: The current time was 7:30am, that means I was up at 5:30 am to get ready to leave my house at 6:15 for the hour drive to the Casino, little did I know it would all be worth it!! Luckily I put my make up on on the way to Tulsa, my original plan was to do it in the parking lot as I waited for Target to open. 

Anyways...  as I was saying ... 

As my precious husband and I were walking in this very tall, well dressed man walked between us. We both turned at the same time (like in a movie) and did a double take. Then stared at each other and Andrew said... "I think that is Craig T. Nelson." I said "Uh me too!! Its COACH!!" Then we stumbled into the lobby to try to find my FIL. We ran into some one that works there and Andrew asked if our suspicions were right. He said, "Yeah! He is here to watch the tournament. He was in the casino last night having a good time. Mingling with all the 'locals'!" I asked the guy if he thought Mr. Nelson would mind if I took a picture with him. He said no way! He was snapping pictures with people right and left last night. So... I, Heather Lynn Hunt Schumacher, thought to my self "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it." (Quote from We Bought a Zoo.. if you haven't seen it GO NOW and rent it. Its at Red Box... GREAT movie!!) So I did it... 

I walked up to him he had just lit his cigar and was talking with an employee who quickly walked off when I got there, and I, Heather Lynn Hunt Schumacher (NO I don't still have my maiden name as part of my name, but it makes me sound much more... well how I felt, little girl like, small, scared, timid... something I haven't been in a while.) said, "Hi, Mr. Nelson. I grew up watching Coach and I am a big fan! Can I take a picture with you? It would really make my dad's day!" (I'm not sure why I threw that in there instead of making it personal... it totally made my day, but I do know my dad has always been a fan, but then again who hasn't. My mom is a fan, my brother, my husband and I'm even almost 100% sure that the crazy man sitting a table away from me at B&N is a fan.) He said, "Well sure!" and put his cigar down and then put his arm around me!! HE put his arm around me. I was just going to stand there nervously and try not to shake... but he Craig T. Nelson gave me a side hug! I will never wash this dress again. I am pretty sure I threw my phone at my husband who quickly very cool and calm like he wasn't phased at all took the picture. It is a little blurry but I'm pretty sure thats because I was 'all shook up'! He smelled like cigar smoke and alcohol. It was beautiful. I could smell him! He is TALL! He is handsome! He is nice. He was nicely dressed. He was kind. He took time to give this nutty girl (woman- I feel so strange calling myself a woman... I still feel like a little girl, especially when I'm hugging a famous person!!) a picture that will always be special. 

Thank you Mr. Nelson for the time and the picture. Thank you for the years you spent on the hit TV show Coach and for the current one that I love, Parenthood. Every time I watch the show I will think about this moment in time... the moment that I am sure you forgot about as soon as your Lexus picked you up for your ride to the course.  

Me and Mr. Craig T. Nelson. May 28, 2012.
He smelled like cigar smoke and alcohol.
It was a beautiful moment. 

An extra tid bit... he doesn't have a lot of hair on top of his head (a look he wears well! and I am quite the judge of 'going bald') but he has a head full in the back. It was almost touching his collar. It is a very pretty dark shiny grey. I'm going to assume that it is shiny because of the product that he uses not because he didn't shower the night before!

today...

(Heads up ... I'm going to ramble. But I'll throw in some pictures for entertainment... I apologize... its been that kinda day!)

• We have officially taken over the house! It is full of our stuff (yes I actually doubted that we could fill this place with the things we have... but it is FULL!)
• I am currently eating broccoli and cheese soup at home for lunch. I have a cold and it makes me feel better. It also makes me miss my best friend, who quit our relationship about this time last year. I'm working on a post about that, but until then, I'll eat my soup and enjoy the sweet memories we had together. 
• We have spiders... nasty mean ugly spiders. The kinds known as 'brown recluse'! They are EVIL!! I hate their stinking guts and I want them all to DIE! Apparently ALL houses in the Ville have them... they just usually arn't as well seen as ours have been. We are getting this under control. 
• Our sewer backed up 6 days after signing our contract! Our hot water heater is also going out. And did I mention we have spiders? But I love this house!! It is amazing... really... I'm not being sarcastic! 
• I'm drinking water like I'm addicted to it. Seriously... I could float the Titanic with the water I have drank in the past two days. More water means more trips to the bathroom. Therefor on my 3rd trip last night, I became very grateful that we have a bathroom in our bedroom! 
• My father in law comes this weekend to help with some more 'home repairs'... I love that term... 'home repairs' - it means we can actually... REPAIR something!! 

This is the hubs and I with our Realtor and the previous homeowner. He is a precious precious man. But he likes to say 'damn' and 'hell' a lot. And even though I can be overheard muttering such profanities at times... it shocks me when I hear it from him...

Andrew and some friends painted the ceilings for us... yes... that is WHITE up there... I lost that fight, but it looks lovely and I'm content with it. 

Andrew's family came to help us. His sister made a trip all the way from St. Andrews to help us move in, wasnt that sweet of her. Alright... she didnt come just to help... but she did make us one of her many stops! 

Our first lunch at the new house was my 'specialty' sandwiches and fruit!! It was quite enjoyable!

The weekend we were moving into the house... we dog sat our favorite boxers. They were so well behaved and got lots of extra special treatment that our stinky hound dogs didnt get. I love these dogs!!

I broke the first dish in our new house... it was a big bummer.These are my favorite glasses... oh well. It had to happen sometime.

July 4th I made sour dough pancakes and they were YUMMMY! (that reminds me... I gotta feed my dough!!) Andrew has this unique ability to get the most awkward pictures of me!

This is Aiden, you can read all about him here.

Around 10 am on the 4th we decided to have some of our favorite friends over for dinner... note that these are just SOME of our favorites, if we would have invited everyone... there would have been NO room.

These guys crack me up. We have lots of fun when we are with them. Their little girl turns 1 this weekend and is my BFF!

Ryan and Andrew work together and his wife is going to be teaching school this fall. Their little guy Aiden is 6 months old and so much fun!!

I was taking the pictures so Andrew decided he needed one with my food and his...

Josh and Ann from our small group!! These guys are so much fun! Last winter they came and rescued us from our house in the midst of being snowed in.

Me and my love! This guy makes my day!!

Us with our realtor in front of the house with the SOLD sign.

My dessert for the past 2 nights chocolate banana shake!! DELISH!

Andrew's dessert - a little frozen yogurt COVERED in fruit. I was MUCH happier than he was after dessert time!

OH Watermelon!! This is what Summer is all about...

“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.”

We have a home.
There was a bank transaction, a few signatures and the hand off of keys ... and the house is ours! As soon as we left the bank (after getting the water switched) we went to our new home.We marveled in it. We dreamed! We cherished the moment. Then we left... the 'old man smell' was getting to us!

We got the ceiling painted on Saturday and Sunday. That was fun... I helped 'cut in'. That takes more time and skill than rolling the ceiling. Andrew got to roll, he is such a slacker. HA! Just kidding!! He is going to kill me for that. He the hard part of rolling ! He did great... and didnt complain at all. I know his neck and back must have been killing him. He is such a hard worker. I'm very proud of our ceilings. OH what color are they?? They are Ceiling White. We had quite the debate over this. I wanted them to be 1/2 the color of the walls... but he put his foot down (when someone offered to give us Ceiling White) and said that we will be JUST fine with white ceilings. So like a good wife I backed down... I've been told before to 'pick my battles' and so I did just that. I'm sure there will be another one in the next few days worth fighting.

On Monday my favorite person (even though I didn't meet her face to face) came to the house. The cleaning lady. She did a fabulous job. Our house no longer had an 'old man smell' to it. It was wonderful. Then my next favorite person came along... the carpet cleaning man! The carpets were so soft and fresh when we came by last night. I fell in love. Nothing feels better than walking on soft clean carpet.
We both soaked the moment in... knowing this is the VERY LAST TIME our carpets will ever feel that way again.

“Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes”

After we took in the cleanliness of the house we decided to pray over the house. We wanted to set a special time to do this, but decided that this might be the last time we have 'time' to do it. We walked from room to room praying over the things that will happen there.
In the living room we prayed for :

• The small groups that will be held there
• The interactions of friends
• The memories made with family 

In the kitchen and dinning room we prayed for:

• The meals that will be prepared
• The goodies made for others
• The conversations that happen over the dinner table
• The meals shared with friends

In the Bedrooms we prayed for:

• Safety and comfort for whomever they hold
• Joyful times, and laughter
• We prayed for our children, who will someday live in those bedrooms. (yes you better believe that made me cry!) 

On the back porch we prayed for:

• The gatherings that would happen
• The game nights 
• The dinners 

It was beautiful. The house now feels like ours.
We walked around and got an idea of what furniture we want where and how it is going to look. We are loosing quite a bit of bedroom space but we are getting an extra room and 2 living areas!! I'm thrilled! God has truly blessed us beyond what we deserve. My biggest prayer is that we use His blessings to bless others, and that no one will ever feel uncomfortable or be turned away from our house. I want to have memories of laughter and love coming from bedrooms. I know there will be sad times, there will be overwhelming times,  but I hope that our memories are over flowing with the happy times!

This is it...

Plans change. Things happen. Sometimes this is good... sometimes this brings distress and frustration. In this case... it is a little bit of both. Here is what happened:
At the suggestion of Andrew's dad we thought it would be great to get into the house this weekend and get the ceilings painted.  Yesterday Andrew mentioned this to our realtor and asked if it would be possible. She said probably, but why don't we just close early? Andrew said "I don't know, why don't we?"
So that lead us through a busy busy busy afternoon of getting things in line.
All of our paperwork is in and approved therefore... as of this afternoon... we will be homeowners!! WOW... I have had many titles before:

• daughter
• friend
• teacher
• student
• lover
• cook
• cleaner
• babysitter
• assistant
• boss
• dog feeder
• nail biter 
• coffee conosuer 
• eater
• daydreamer 
• slacker
• bag lady
• shopper
• driver
• wife
• fun sucker
• dingy 
• clueless 
• worshiper
• church lady
• (The list could go on and on ...) 

Lots of titles... but NEVER homeowner!! 
This is exciting... this is stressful!!
Here is the plan for the weekend.

After Lunch: Sign the next 30 years of our lives away....
Tonight: We pack like we have never packed before. Our house is about half packed now. I was counting on my extra week to get it done.
Tomorrow: Andrew has clients (including me and a friend) until 11.
Tomorrow afternoon: We paint ceilings and pack pack pack
Sunday:  CHURCH... gotta go to church!! Then MOVE!! We find everyone we can with a pick-up and load up our boxes and get them loaded into the garage. Some furniture will be moved in as well. Garage will be PACKED TO THE BRIM... Rent house... as empty as possible!!
Monday: Someone is coming to the new house to clean the carpets and house for us! (GOD LOVE THEM!!)
Tuesday night: ALL furniture moved from old house to new house!! All beds set up in new house! Bathroom unpacked.
Wednesday night: Inlaws coming to survey the work that needs to be done. God blessed us with two very handy daddies!! Andrew's dad gets the first call to duty. Dinner with them to discuss... the damage!
Thursday: Bible study
Friday: UNPACK
Saturday: UNPACK
Sunday... FUN DAY!! (I think I'll schedule a nap)
MONDAY - TUESDAY : work with inlaws.
Wednesday - Sunday: My mom is here to help get us all unpacked and settled.
Monday: Figure out life in a new house...

Some changes that this new house will bring are:

• Frozen Custard at Jareds every night of my life... (or I'll dream about it at least!) 
• Longer drive to work for Andrew, this means he will not be biking to work anymore. I know he will miss this... 
• Shorter drive to work for me... this is so good... I struggle with punctuality. 
• smaller kitchen... guess that means less space to clean so that is good! 
• Dogs will no longer live in our bedroom!! GLORY BE!! I'm so tired of them being EVERYWHERE!! They are not our children. Even our children will have their own room!! The dogs will get to come inside in the evenings but... they are dogs. They will have a doggy door that will lead into the workshop if they need to escape the heat or wind or cold or rain... or if they just want to be inside. BUT... THEY ARE DOGS!! They will be ok! (well except Cami... she will have emotional damage because of this change... poor girl!) 

 Ok thats all for now... I'm sure there will be MANY funny stories to tell of our adventures over the next few weeks.

Did I mention I get to see my sister-in-law during all this?? I'm so excited!!

Homeowners!!

Our First Year!

We made it to one year.
I can't think of anything special or witty to write.
We had a good year. It was full of ups and downs.
It was FULL of growing pains.
It was full of learning experiences.
It was full of temper tantrums... thrown by me.
It was full of compassion given by the hubs.
It has been full of new puppies.
It has been full of big plans.

I look forward to another 50 plus years with this amazing man!! I am truly blessed.
Here are a few pictures to recap our fun year.

We started our first year off by ... getting married. We thought it would be a fun way to kick things off! :)

Our first home!

This is moments before beginning the worst camping trip of my life. And that even includes the time it was so cold we couldn't keep a fire going to cook our food. (I wish I had a picture to commemorate the end of that trip, it as the best part of the whole thing... but it would not be pretty!) The trip was full of spiders in the car, freezing nights and one particular boxer puking all over our bed in the tent.

Cami Joe and Buster Boy! Our first two babies... they love each other!

Dudley Doodles... our newest addition!

We made a trip home in August to pick up a few things that were left in Midland... most importantly my baby girl!! On the way we stopped by Pampa to see my family. This is the first picture with nearly all the grand kids in it. The only one missing is Brandon. We have GOT to make it happen one of these days...

Farmers market... this is a fun steam engine train!!

May 1st. My sweeties 30th birthday... he ran the 1/2 marathon and I walk/run/joggished the 5K!

We have bought our first house... well almost. In a little over a week it will all be final! 

We did so many more fun things like, finding new friends, starting a small group, getting involved in our church, a couple trips, a few random fun dates, a trip to a zoo close to town, I started a new job, we had family come visit, I had a friend come visit, we set up the 'envelope' system... we did so many fun things and I can't hardly wait to see what the next year holds.

My mom and dad sent us a card that summed up our year...

What is Marriage? 

Its vacuuming carpets and hammering nails. 

Its saving a dollar by shopping at sales... 

It's balancing checkbooks and paying off bills. 

Its cleaning the windows and mopping up spills. 

It's doing the laundry and matching up socks. 

It's a washer that dies when the car needs new shocks ...

It's two busy schedules, but one happy life,

With each moment you share as husband and wife!

The card also included a couple gift cards for dinner out. :)
Andrew's parents sent us Flowers that were amazing... I have pictures but not loaded yet.

Thank you to all who have supported and loved us through this year of growing pains. You are all special to us. We are blessed to call you family and friends!


Happy Anniversary My love! I look forward to sharing many more with you!