Vacation Photo Overload...

We were fortunate enough to just have gone on a two week family vacation.

We completely disconnected from our internet, phones, T.V. etc. it really was good for us all to "just be" and refresh. 

First stop; a city that is near and dear to us...Houston Texas.

We spent two days with our friends and travel buddies John & Tammy finding fun places to eat and taking in an Astros baseball game.

We love Texas in general but Houston is really a fun and safe city full of great people, great food and never a shortage of things to do.

After two days we were ready to head to Galveston to catch our cruise....

The Liberty of the Seas had plenty to do including water slides that hung over the  edge of the ship...yikes!

Next stop; Honduras. This is the view from our room..

Roatan was so green and beautiful! 

We got off the ship and boarded a small boat to Little French Key...

The water was in the high 80's and so blue you had to remind yourself  it wasn't a swimming pool...

This day was full of trying new foods, snorkeling out to a sunken ship and  getting to hold a monkey....

We realize as our girls get older that these down times as a family are going to get farther between...so we don't take them for granted.

I gave the little sucker back to the zoo keeper after it bit me...😳

Next stop; the port of Costa Maya is a port in Mexico above Belize....

We walked a few blocks through town and hopped into a shuttle bus that would take us into the jungle where we would hike to some Mayan ruins. This is the "before the heat and humidity about killed me" shot ha! I should have taken an "after" photo. 

The biggest reason I love to travel is because it makes me feel very small in the whole scheme of things. You realize so much is out there and when you see something like ancient ruins you can imagine people carrying these huge stones, slaving away to build them and the archaeologists who discovered them...I'm a nerd and I'm okay with that. 

Our fearless leaders John & Dan...

It was really cool because on the hike we saw a bunch of baby monkeys and their mamas playing in the trees and putting on a show for us...

We then drove about 30 miles further into the jungle which appeared to lead to an endless nothing...

But of course there is a hut with real Mexican food and cold drinks...

And a 30 mile fresh water lagoon in the middle of nowhere....mind blown!

The water was crystal clear and warm...I chose this spot for the rest of the day...

This little peanut was just hanging out in a hammock while her mom sold fresh pineapple on the road side. It was by far the sweetest pineapple I have ever had. I think they called it honey pineapple?

Our last stop was Cozumel. This is our second time to  Cozumel and it did not disappoint.  

It was another day full of snorkeling, fun food and relaxing. Morgan and Tammy  got massages on the beach....

My girls were teasing me but I love hammocks and this shot summed up our Caribbean vacation; relax and restore.

If I can convince Dan, someday I will be living in Cozumel ha! I love the island and the people there. 

A few more fun days back on the ship complete with ice skating and fun dinners....

We were greeted by a tropical storm as we got back to Galveston...but never fear. We found fun stuff to do for our last two days in vacation which included trying some good food and also a fun vintage style bowling alley where we killed the kids in a few games ha!

A panoramic view from the roof of our hotel The Magnolia....

Very weary travelers waiting to head home. We loved our adventures together and cannot wait for the next one. Be blessed friends.

Catch Up.....

Well I thought this saved as a draft and didn't realize in the busyness of finishing school that it had posted with no text.
Some catch up ha!
We went to Palm Springs for the day in April for my birthday and enjoyed the pool and an amazing lunch.

Started demolition on hour house in May...stripped the brick off and tore out the entire walkway and added to our driveway.

It's a small disaster but coming along.

Ryanne has had the same pen pal for over a year. We met the lovely Darby on the train in Seattle. We have gotten to know her and love her and were blessed to spend some time with her at Disneyland when she came down a few weeks ago.

The dogs are still nuts, we wrapped up our 9th year of home schooling and then left the next day for a two week vacation the Caribbean. Pictures to follow this week.
Blessings friend!

    

Can't Make This Stuff Up...

 So you all know we have a little rescue dog named Chloe that has been with us for about a year now... well because of where we live and how our house is situated on the top of a hill backed up against open land...she takes off A LOT! I keep telling her she's going to be some coyotes lunch or a snack for a mountain lion but she can't help explore.

The other day she disappeared for about 20 minutes and when she came back she was carrying a stuffed animal. Now she's not only a silly looking rescue dog but a criminal ha!

If you are reading this and recognize this stuffed animal, we are happy to return it and heck, I'll even throw in a free dog! Two for the price of one! Ha!!!!

Laguna Beach Day

Oh man did we need a family day; so when Dan got off Sunday morning  we jumped in the car and headed to Laguna Beach for some lunch, some family time and some fresh air.

We picked up Dans aunt and uncle and took them with us.
A nice lunch at Tommy Bahamas and we headed down to the beach....

Dans uncle had been wanting to show us this pretty cool castle built into the side  of the cliffs....

   

It was so good to all be together and just have that time near the ocean, loving on family, eating good food and of course stopping in active culture and getting shakes on the way home. You never got to Laguna without a stop into Active Culture. ;)
Blessings friends!

Hands of Mercy

So last week Ryanne and I had the privilege of going with Trinity church and Hands of Mercy down to Mexico to build houses. We had like 92 people. This is a picture of our van pulling into the customs check.

It was a long day of travel as we were down below Ensenada but everyone was super patient with each other and stayed positive and focused on what we were going down to do.

We all bunked up in different spots around the camp but me and Ryanne stayed in a loft house which is exactly what we were building for the family. It gave us a real feel of living in the type of home we were helping to build.

Up early and ready for work day 1!
I love how God just wants to pour blessings on us and all along the way he confirmed in my heart that I want nothing more than to live fearlessly for Him and his kingdom. When we got to the camp and met the missionaries who were serving down there it turns out it was a friend I met 16 years ago on MOPS leadership and had lost touch with over the years. It was like a reunion to get to hang out with her and just spend time with her. Everyday I was like,"Thank you God for that treat and that one and that one!" ha!

This was the neighborhood we would work in each day. We were there for 4 days.

Our building site

The kids painted their hearts out...

Ryanne made it a point to take time and love on all the kids who came around the work site....

There was also time for down time each evening back at camp....

This is the loft in the house where me and Ryanne slept for four days. This is a space where an entire family will sleep. 

Day 2 and heading out to work site...

The ramp that crossed the creek to our shower....

The house is coming together.

Ryannes little buddy...

The family we were building for was so kind, they cooked all day and made us lunch.  This was a huge sacrifice for them and we were blessed by it.

The homes where we were do not have running water or electricity. Their kitchens and bathrooms are outside.

Back at camp each night we shared the cooking duties  and had a time of studying the word and worship. 

It was an experience for the kids to realize their bathrooms were make shift out houses with basically a hole in the ground.

Every time I leave the country to serve someone and love on them God blesses me more than I ever could give to people I meet on my journeys. I am always left in awe of Gods goodness regardless of what possessions we have or don't have. I love that people can live on dirt floors and literally have the clothes on their back but have the joy that only comes from the Lord. It affirms in me that "things" do not equal contentment or happiness, rather stepping out of our comfort zone and showing Christ's love in tangible ways to other people is what brings me joy. It was sad to leave but I am praying God opens the door for us to go back very soon.
Blessings friends.