Back From Vacation

So Jason and I are back from vacation and it has already been a crazy week. The jet lag finally wore off :) Hawaii was so beautiful but it is always so nice to come home too.
First, we hiked through the rain forest to Manoa Falls...

The next day we went to see Pearl Harbor (USS Arizona & USS Missouri)

After Pearl Harbor we had lunch then it was off to parasailing!


Saturday was Chris and Jessica's beach wedding... it was so beautiful!
Day after the wedding the guys went deep sea fishing and us girls went to the swap meet to buy souvenirs. Then we met the guys at the luau for a sunset Hawaiian meal. Yumm-o!

Monday we went to see the Valley of the Temples. That was a bit deceiving since there was only one temple but it was still really cool even though we aren't Buddhist.Tuesday was pretty relaxed with breakfast at the Hukilau Cafe. Great food and service.

Summer chores

For some reason, chores seem so much more time consuming in the summer. I have been getting a lot of veggies from the garden which I am thankful for. However, it is very time consuming to get the veggies picked, cleaned cut up, and prepared for freezing/canning. My family is already asking about what flavors of jam they can expect at Christmas. Now, the house has suffered because of this. I feel so un-motivated with this heat too. Today is nice and I want to enjoy the day instead of working. Work has been good but this week was full of deadlines so that added some stress. Hoping this week is much easier. I can't believe it is already the last week of July but also I feel ready for the cooler dryer September air. September will also bring me renewed hope. The beginning of the end of a phase in my life that I am ready to be done with. God has finally given me peace and we are open to whatever He has in store for us.

6 years down... 60 to go!

So, this last weekend was a mile marker... 6 years ago I married my best friend. I think back on not only the last 6 years but also the whole 11 years that we've been a couple. How time has flown! With all of the changes that we've endured I am proud to say that I am still Jason's girl. The road has had some pretty big bumps and things haven't always gone the way either of us thought or planned, despite my efforts :) I am so glad God has lead us down this path! We celebrated by going for dinner at the restaurant where our reception was, The Trestle Stop. We were able to see two receptions while we were there. Man, did that bring back memories! We also did some shopping for our up coming Hawaiian getaway. Last, we relaxed by going fishing in the evening. That was until the lake residents lit off fireworks, then Smokey let us know she was done with the fishing.

Also, we sold the Tahoe this week! This was an answer to prayer. The guy who bought it was so excited. He was talking about all of the things he wanted to do to it. I am so glad it went to someone who was going to take care of it and appreciate it. Best of all, I have the peace of mind that we didn't sell it to someone who needed a car loan to buy it.

For the fourth we celebrated with Jason's grandpa in Ohio. We helped host 67 people for bbq chicken/potluck. We had such a blast hanging out with the extended family!
We returned from Ohio to visit with our out of town relatives. Jason's aunt and uncle from CA were in town so we had dinner at Jason's grandparents home in Reed City. Then, because Monday was a holiday for us, we had lunch at Jamie and John's new place with my mom, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and Grandpa Roman from Texas.
Whew, I had to go back to work just to catch a break! Just kidding. It was great seeing everybody.

Now, this week includes blueberry picking and jam making. I wish it would cool off a bit to make these things easier but, it will snow again before I know it so I might as well enjoy summer for what it is.

Back from Vacation

So, we took our annual vacation to the cabin in the UP. We had a great time despite the rain. We started by helping Jamie and John (sister & BIL) move from Chippewa Lake to Grand Rapids.

Jamie and John at the Chippewa Lake house

Then, once they were ready to start organizing we took off for Gwinn, MI.

We stayed at Little Lake campground which was a great campground but I admit I will not stay there again just because of the train blowing its whistle 4 times in the night!

After camping for one night we packed up and moved to the cabin where we stayed the rest of the week. Dad, Merle, and Merle's son met us there on Monday. The rest of the gang (Joel, Ashley, Conor, and Marvin) came up on Thursday.


We fished the Yellow Dog River, the West Branch of the Escanaba, Little Lake, Mehl Lake, and Lake Independence. Mehl lake was the best to us for Perch and Blue gill and the Yellow Dog was great for Rainbow and Brook trout.

Little Pup river's rapids... we decided to not fish this one!Mehl Lake - this plane did "touch and go's" several times!

On the way to/from Lake Independence

The Fish! (11" blue gill, several perch, 1 rock bass)

Summer!

So, I was so excited for the warmer temps I decided to blog about it. We have two vacations planned this summer that we are stoked about! First, we'll head north to my family's cabin for a week of relaxing and fishing. Later, we'll head out to Hawaii for a week of fun in the sun! So with summer officially starting next weekend already it seems like time is flying by too fast. We got in our first boat at work (see blogs I follow, Down East Yachting to view the Sabre 40 arriving). The veggies in the garden are making their annual debut. Strawberries are still a bit green but they are there! Glad the sunshine is out too!

Cherish

As some may know, the last couple of days have been hard on Zeeland's class of 1999. We tragically lost a former classmate. To many she was a friend, acquaintance, to others a mother, sister, cousin, daughter. And, her estranged husband although made some horrible choices recently, I am sure he had friends and family that will miss him too. Although I never knew him, I have fond memories of Ivy. We were never close but she was always kind to me.

All of this to say that those of us on this side of heaven need to cherish the moments we share with each other. I am thinking of all the times that I simply didn't have the time to call a friend. How quickly life can be lost. How quickly the moment can pass and can never be recovered. I look back and think how could I have been so self centered that I let past friendships fade into the background of my mind. Why didn't I focus on the good times instead of letting the bad moments create an excuse to ignore that person. This time of reflection, I believe, God allows in our lives to move forward, to remind us that cherishing our loved ones is what He wants so that we may be a better reflection of Him.

I know one day I will see Ivy again. Until then, I pray that God will continue to remind me that this world does not revolve around my life, my home, or my work but rather His love that I am expected to share.

Thanks for reading.

New Truck

So, we have decided to replace the beloved Tahoe and bought a truck last week. It has been a long wait and a lot of saving. This is only the second vehicle we've bought without going into debt, but won't be the last!!

That being said, it has made me think of all of the good times we had with the Tahoe. How on earth we got the new garage door on it, two tracking north of Cadillac, two tracking in Allegan woods, pulling the dirt bike AND boat at the same time, two tracking in the UP. Yes, many memories. But, it is just a vehicle in the end and will make someone else very happy we hope.

The story of the new truck happens to be pretty cool too. We have been looking for months now for a truck with less than 100k miles. I happened to check craigslist last week on a day that Jason hadn't yet. Low and behold, a Chevy pickup with all of the features that Jason had requested. Not only that but there were a few that he hadn't like the off road package, mint condition, new tires, etc. So, I called the guy up and scheduled seeing it that night. Then, I called Jason to inform him that I made an appointment. Between that and the appointment I prayed like crazy that we would know without any doubt whether or not this was OUR truck.

Well, we got to the sellers house and he and his family were so nice! The whole time we had peace. He was very open about the truck's history & very friendly. We get to the test drive part and Jason fires it up just to have DAVE RAMSEY on the radio. Coincidence, I think not.

Then, after going over the truck with a fine tooth comb, we could not find any reason to ask for a lower price. So, we get to the price negotiation and Jason throws out a number and the guy accepts it just like that! He even said that was the number in his head that was the least he'd take for the truck. Again, another moment that could not have been coincidence.

Now, we are so thankful for the blessings God had in store for us and that we were in a position to accept His gifts. Still praying for the right buyer for the Tahoe but I am sure that will come together just as perfectly. God is so good!