My first harvest...

At the beginning of March, Sam and I planted a garden in out side yard. I was very excited as I have never planted my own garden before. Six weeks later, things were really starting to take off and look like vegetables. We planted quite a few lettuces, some tomates, corn, cabbage and cucumbers. Well last week, I got my first harvest from the garden. I needed to thin out some of the lettuces and onions so that they can grow bigger, and so we had a yummy spring salad from the fresh produce of our garden. God is so good to provide for our many needs, and this garden is going to be a huge provision during the Summer. I cant wait...

When we first planted it...

Six weeks later...

Jake helping me with my first harvest...

The result of our labor...

24 Weeks...

Here are a couple photos of me at 24 weeks pregnant.

Spring in Waterford...

Spring is in the air... and one Sunday afternoon, Sam and I decided that we needed to enjoy God's Beauty. Actually, Sam decided I needed to go for a walk, and he wanted to explore the river front with me. After a couple weeks of rain and sunshine, everything was bursting with life. The grass was long and green, the trees were in full bloom, and there were wildflowers all over the place. It was a beautiful walk and I loved marveling at the beauty which our God has created...These pictures dont even come close to showing how creative our God is.

Our little home...

In November, we moved into Waterford. This is a small town 12 miles from where we lived before. God provided this little home for us to rent through a couple that go to our church. By living in Waterford, we are now closer to Sam's work, the church, and the majority of the church family. We love this little place, and even though we have only been here a few months, it is home for us. And there is lots of room for our family to grow here.

Our living room...

Our dining area...

The study and guest room...


When we first moved in, the yards were in bad shape. There were no sprinklers in the back yard, and it looked like it hadn't been watered in years. The front yard didnt look much better than the back. So Sam put in a sprinkler system and sowed some new grass. Below is a picture of him the first time he mowed the new lawn.

Hot Air Balloons...

Early one Summer morning, Sam and I got up early to go watch some air balloons take off. I was very excited as I have never seen the balloons take off before. Unfortunately, it was too windy, and they were unable to get any of them in the air. I was very disappointed, but they did try to get one of them off the ground. So I got a few photos of the attempt. Maybe I will get to see them take off when they do it again next year...

Climbing Half Dome...

Well, after training for three months, we headed up to Yosemite again. Sam's sister, Cassia, and a few friends came with us.

This time I was prepared for the first part of the hike, and surprised myself with how fast, and easily I completed it. Then started the slow trek up the rest of the mountain. Some of the more fit people made it to the base of Half Dome fairly quickly and the rest of us got there about an hour and a half later. We finally made it to the base of Half Dome in time to eat lunch. As I sat down to eat, I looked at the long line of people climbing the Ropes to the top, and decided I was too tired to attempt the last portion. However, after eating and taking a short nap, I was reenergized and decided that it would be sad to make it all this way, and not make it to the top. So to the top we went!

At the Base of Half-Dome (notice the line of people climbing the Ropes to the top)

The View from the top...

Starting the descent down the Ropes

Part way down with Half Dome in the background. I came, I saw, I conquered!

Rock 'n' Water...

Sam and I love young people. There was not much of a youth ministry at Hickman Church when we first arrived, but we jumped in and got involved with it. Over the Summer, we went to the Youth Events that were planned and got to the young people of the Church. What really surprised us is that there are about 15 young people who are connected to the church and come to the events, but are never at Church on Sunday. So in July, Hickman Church had a youth summer camp. Sam taught at the five teaching sessions, and we really got to know the young people that came. We headed up to Rock 'n' Water whih is a christian camp that specializes in Rock Climbing and White Water Rafting. Below are some of the Rock climbing, absailing (repelling), and canyoneering that we all did. Unfortunately, it was too wet to take my camera on the White water rafting.

Im back...with a little catching up to do

Dear family and friends,

Life is a funny thing. Sometimes it goes by very slowly, and then other times you look back and say, where did life go? Today I fall into both camps. The last four months seemed to drag because I have had a lot of projects and things that I have wanted to do, but I have been so busy that I couldnt get to them. So they sat day after day, waiting for me to turn my hand to them. Yet when I look at the last time that I blogged, I couldnt believe how long it has been. It feels like just yesterday that I was announcing that I was pregnant. So it is due time for a catch up. Grab a cuppa, and let me fill in the blanks of the last few months.

Please Note:
Because there is so much to share, I am going to break it up into smaller posts some of which will come before this post and the rest will come after. Enjoy =)

Our Home in Modesto...

When we first moved up north, this was the little home we lived in. I loved it and was quick to make it feel homely. My favorite part of the place was the back patio. We didnt have a lot of space, but Sam helped me "green" it up with all the potted plants. Sam worked for a landscaping company at the time, and whenever they changed out the "color" for the commercial properties that they maintained, Sam would bring home the flowers that they were tearing out. We were also given a table and chairs and a BBQ which helped to complete our outdoor dining. I have many fond memories of eating in our little Garden during the summer. We lived in this place for 6 months before moving 15miles east into Waterford.

Camping for our Anniversary...

Because we had done so many trips in the first year of our marriage, we decided that it would be nice to stay close to home for our Anniversary. So Sam surprised me with a camping trip to the Lake and River that is 10 miles from our house. Some very dear friends of ours loaned us the camping equipment, and we had a marvelous time resting and relaxing. It was such a joy to remember the faithfulness of the Lord during our first year of marriage and to enjoy each others company exclusively for the weekend.

Our Campsite for the Weekend...

Our View down to the River

Enjoying the Campfire