Changes...

Around here, there are a lot of changes going on. You may call us crazy, but we are moving forward with faith:) After one full year of being blessed to live with our parents in their houses, we have signed a lease for our very own 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2 level, side by side duplex...not here, but in....

Charlottesville.

We are moving!!!!!!!! There is a lot of excitement over here. We are moving in about 2 weeks. Our letters of resignations to our jobs are in and Ryan is QUICKLY finishing his last semester of his Associates Degree. Can you believe he has completed 35 credits in 2 semesters? I am very proud of him, as are so many more people:) We are moving, with a moving truck!!! You better believe it. I mean, we have been, are, and will be very blessed. My parent's garage is FULL to the brim of furniture, given to us, but kind and caring people. Our official move out date:

August 11, 2010

Now, our next order of business- Get accepted to UVa and the Airforce ROTC and find jobs...This may possibly be very backwards, but what faith would you need if everything was prepared and falling into your lap??

My dear friend's blog post...a must read!

A little itty while ago, my dear friend (her name is in my name-dara/cami) wrote a blog post about our time together. She was my first high school friend in college. We had many great memories and she posted about a lot of them. Please read here!

Gramma Billie

My only living Grandparent (from either side) is Gramma Billie (my father's mother)...we have called her Gramma Billie our entire lives (and we have always spelled gramma just like that for her). She was our gramma who lived "far away" in Florida and we only go to see every other summertime-ish. She was a fashionable lady and always had the neatest jewelry (she would buy us play jewelry). When she was around, you always painted nails and went on walks, but you HAD to remember your stick...because we would find LOTS of bugs and dirt along the road. We would count the ants in the ant hole and push the leaves away from the road. She loved candy corn and the color pink. For my first grade picture, she fluffed my bangs up (early 90s style) and I was rockin' it in my onzie outfit that zipped up the front and had those stirrup loops on the bottom (and you all wore those same kind of pants/suits, so don't hate). She liked taking us to our elementary school play ground and we would ride around in her white oldsmobile with a huge tire on the back with a silver hupcap and blue top-windows were always down.

These are all memories-my dear gramma has Alzheimer's Disease and lives in a nursing home. When I go to visit her, she doesn't even know who I am (and I remind her several times). She is a great listener and will always comment on what you tell her (even if it is just "uh hmmm" and "whatever makes you happy"). She still loves to go on walks and moves her arms a lot like a power walker. She is 89 and on July 14th met her 2 great grand daughters for the first time. She loved Scarlett (the baby) and cooed at her the whole time. She tried speaking to Chloe, but Chloe was a little shy at the nursing home.

I love him...

When I look at him, I feel happy and grateful. I am excited to move forward in the adventures we have faced and have yet to face. He is kind and loving. I love to hold his hand and give him kisses. I am a lucky girl. He is my best friend and my eternal companion.

A tribute to my wife

she rises with the sun.
and like a solar presence,
just by being who she is,
brightens my life each day.
she smiles and life is sweeter.
dreams no longer thrill me,
because her beauty takes my breath away.
she's every dream of mine come true,
and in every way, my life is better,
Because she is by my side.

P.S. I love you Dara

Sometimes...

you just have one of those moments (or a lot of those moments) when you wonder why so many doors are closing in your life...and then of course you know that saying "when one door closes another one opens..." I suppose it just seems difficult to wait for the other doors to open. They will always open...sometimes it takes a little bit longer than you were hoping for. I think, it's times like these when all those doors seem to be closing, that you realize how many things you have to be grateful for...did you know that my people of Guatemala are suffering?? A sink hole, a hurricane, and a volcano!!?? The volcano erupted in my mission and in contact I have had with people there...things are not going very well. They rarely having running water and when it comes, it's contaminated with all the ash and debris from the volcano. Now believe me bloggy people, my people of Guatemala have hard times and live harder lives than we could imagine-but they are the happiest, wonderfuliest, greatest, bestest people alive (in my opinion of course). There is happiness to be found in all things- even when it feels as though the doors keep closing and no doors are opening. Hold to the rod, walk slower on the straight and narrow path...and the doors will slowly begin to open-one door at a time-until you don't have enough room to store all the blessings coming from all of the open doors. It's a promise.from the Lord.you would feel better if you trust in Him.promise.


Somos locos (and don't mind my crazy eyes)


JALONNNNNN


En serio, somos locos


See, I have walked in another's shoes ya know!


La Sociedad de Socorro

The Celebration of Beautiful Nas' Birthday

I would have to say we are a lucky family-Not everybody has a beautiful Nas...although she has "adopted" lots of children over the years who will always call her "Nas." Ryan and I put together some flowers and candy on Friday and he dropped them off to her at work, making a big deal about her birthday in front of all her friends. Ryan said it was fun and Nas really enjoyed the little show she got and all the candy she could share with her friends at work. We had a wonderful time celebrating her birthday, May 29th. She requested a BBQ-catered by QT and Jen. She had a great time opening presents and blowing out candles on the cake made by the one and only-Ryan. He has become a great cake maker-he has great potential to go far in cake making!


The Birthday Girl


Go Marines-opening some gifts from her loved ones


She believed we really gave her a pink hair dryer-it was the only box I could find to pack her workout clothes! We had a great laugh over that!


The party people



Blowing out the candles on the beautiful cake!

It was a fun day-We love you, Nas. Thank you for being so wonderful. We enjoyed celebrating your birthday.