The Next Adventure

The First Adventure Ends:

December 2007 Ben and I packed a truck, towed a Miata and with my Toyota Matrix we left CA and headed to CO to start a great adventure. There were so many unknowns. We had NO idea what we were getting into. We had NO idea how God was going to use this time to refine us, change our hearts, heal us, and prepare us.

In the last 2 1/2 years:

• Ben has gone through the Counseling Licensure program at Denver Seminary and will graduate in 4 weeks with a MASTERS!! I am such a proud wife!
  
• Ben sold the Miata, bought a Jeep - sold the Jeep, bought a Motorcycle. This is a whole new adventure in itself!
• Ben got a job at Apple, then Starbucks, then landscaping and graduate assistant in a clinic. It's pretty amazing how God provided all these jobs right when we needed them in this economy!
• I still have my reliable Matrix.
  
• I have had a great reliable job the whole time.
• I taught myself to knit and have had tons of fun creating things.
• We got a dog who has been such a source of JOY in our house. Silly Mutt!
  

Ben and I are looking back now at our time here in Colorado in amazement at how God has opened doors, closed doors, and provided everything (and much more) that we needed. There were things we really hoped for that, we now know, didn't turn out for the best. There were things that seemed impossible but came as a TOTAL answer to prayers. There were so many blessings along the way that came at the right time to encourage us.

There are so many things to say about how God proved himself faithful to us and showed us he loves us and will not fail us and has a great plan in store.

The Next Adventure Begins:

Ben graduates in May, our apartment lease is up in June and Ben and I are ready for the Next Adventure! We have decided to move to New England! So on June 12th we will be packing up a truck again, but this time with one car, with a motorcycle, and a dog. And this time driving 4 days to get to our new home. We are going to live with my parents in MA for a bit till we get our own place we are hoping in CT. I must say it is going to be nice to live near family again... but I'll save that for another blog.

We are facing many unknowns again.. no jobs, no home... but the truck is booked, the hotels are booked, the 60-day notice to vacate our apartment is in, and we have boxes to pack. We again are stepping out in faith. We know God has a plan and we are willing and ready to be used. So we are gearing up to go and see what exciting things are in store.

In 8 weeks we will say goodbye to Colorado, to jobs, to school, to friends, to our home and head out to a whole new....everything. We are excited and nervous. Please pray for us. :)

December and Eyes and Weight

Hello all,

2009 is almost over. I swear this year went by so fast... so much faster than any other year I can remember. Is it because I'm getting older? Is it because my life has no routine so the days just fly? Or is it because I'm always planning ahead? Who knows...

I'm glad to say I've had my Christmas Shopping done for quite sometime now. I always have a goal to get it done before Turkey Day. It doesn't always happen, but I can't stand the crowds and bad attitudes as Christmas get closer and closer.

Ben and I are headed to MA for Christmas. We are hitching a ride with Santa on Christmas eve about 1130pm. and he's dropping us off in Boston at around 5am. And yes, my wonderful parents are driving 2 hours to Boston on Christmas Morning to pick us up at 5am! Aren't they wonderful! Merry Christmas huh? God also provided doggie sitters for us. God bless Bethany and Joel!

Since the summer I have been having problems with my Right eye - specifically Giant Papillary Conjunctivitis. This now means I can no longer wear contact lenses. I have been wearing them since 7th grade. And for those of you who know how I feel about my eyes.. you know this is a terrible disappointment. I have to wear glasses now :( I am petrified of anyone getting near my eyes, but that Lasik Surgery is looking better and better! So.... My old old old old pair of glasses is alright for now, but I'm gonna have to take the plunge soon and buy new ones if i'm gonna have to wear glasses FOREVER now... sigh..


As for weight... I'm turning 30 next September and on my 29th b-day I just didn't like where I was. I felt out of control with my eating and I was using food as a comfort, a warmer, bordem buster... I tried to "diet", but that lasted one meal. So I decieded to join Weight Watchers. Since Oct 1 I have lost 10.5 lbs. WOOHOO. I feel better about myself. My clothes fit better. I feel in control and satisfied with my new eating habits. PLUS When I reach my goal (Hopefully in Feb or March) Ben said I can reward myself with a new wardorbe from my favorite store... THE LIMITED!! What a modivator, let me tell you. Isn't my husband wonerful?!? So pray for me if you think about it. It is really hard to stay on track with all this holiday candy, pies, parties, cookies, ect...

Blessings,
J

Rachel is 1!

I recently got back from a trip to MA for Rachel's 1st b-day. It was so nice to fly into Bradley (Hartford, CT =30min from my parents house) rather than my arrival airport(Boston-2 hours from my rents house).

Rachel's party was just a few hours after I came in. My sister-in-law is so talented and was a great hostess. Rachel's party was very special. There were so many people there to clap for her and give her attention. Rachel had a blast. She was all giggles and squeals. Below is a video of her tasting her first frosting... she obviously enjoyed it!

I am so glad I didn't miss this special weekend. Rachel is so precious and it was such a blessing for me to have some quality time with her.

The sweater I've been working on since April... FIT! I was kind of nervous it would be too small for her, but as you can tell from the pic, she has room to grow.

On Sunday Morning my mom hosted a mother-daughter brunch. It was really fun to have some girl time with such wonderful women. These woman are so talented, funny, wise, and Godly. We had a good time!

(left to right: Emily Gallo, Francis Townsend, Rachel Kaye, Merrie Kaye, Becky Kaye, Leslie Townsend)

Sunday night my Grandma "K" took my parents and I out to dinner. There was a little place with a prime rib special. It was really good.

The rest of the trip was very restful. It was a short, but I got to spend a lot of time with the family. The only thing missing was Ben. He's gonna try to make an appearance next time :)

GoodBye Summer

Summer was good.

We had friends visit from CA with their doggies for a week.

I've almost completed the sweater I'm knitting.

We went to the cheap theater several times. Saw a few great movies!

Ben finally got a break and was able to rest, read, play Wii, walk, and just have Ben time.

I READ FOUR BOOKS! They were big books too! For those of you who know me... this is huge. Reading has never been one of my... let's say hobbies.

We had hail storms and tornadoes in July that the city is still trying to recover from.

We discovered GoodTimes Frozen Custard - Weds = NY Cheescake, Thurs = Chocolate Chip, Friday = Oreo Cookie

Fergie learned a new trick.

We never had to turn on our A/C.

Well Summer is over.

It went by quickly (this whole year has been going by quickly).

The weather is starting to get cooler, it's darker in the mornings, and school has started.

I have to leave earlier for work because all the soccer moms are on the roads now.

I'm starting to drink tea again in the morning to warm me up and wake me up.

On the horizon for the Fall.

My b-day is coming. Lot's of family b-days... best friend - Becca, Grampa, Frances, Mario, Aunt A, Flannery, Uncle R. (and this is just September) Rachel's in October. Am I missing anyone?

My mom is here for a visit!

My niece is turning 1!

Ben is in his second to last semester! And planning for the future after graduation.

This is my favorite time of year - Sweater weather, beautiful leaves changing color, that smell of autumn is so refreshing.

People start pulling out their holiday decor from the basement. Although I don't like to see Christmas stuff until at least November, but I've already had a Christmas catalog come in the mail! Oh well!

Not ready for winter!!

We've Figured Him Out

The American Spectator

We've Figured Him Out

By Ben Stein

Why is President Barack Obama in such a hurry to get his socialized medicine bill passed?

Because he and his cunning circle realize some basic truths:

The American people in their unimaginable kindness and trust voted for a pig in a poke in 2008. They wanted so much to believe Barack Obama was somehow better and different from other ultra-leftists that they simply took him on faith.

They ignored his anti-white writings in his books. They ignored his quiet acceptance of hysterical anti-American diatribes by his minister, Jeremiah Wright.

They ignored his refusal to explain years at a time of his life as a student. They ignored his ultra-left record as a "community organizer," Illinois state legislator, and Senator.

The American people ignored his total zero of an academic record as a student and teacher, his complete lack of scholarship when he was being touted as a scholar.

Now, the American people are starting to wake up to the truth. Barack Obama is a super likeable super leftist, not a fan of this country, way, way too cozy with the terrorist leaders in the Middle East, way beyond naïveté, all the way into active destruction of our interests and our allies and our future.

The American people have already awakened to the truth that the stimulus bill -- a great idea in theory -- was really an immense bribe to Democrat interest groups, and in no way an effort to help all Americans.

Now, Americans are waking up to the truth that ObamaCare basically means that every time you are sick or injured, you will have a clerk from the Department of Motor Vehicles telling your doctor what he can and cannot do.

The American people already know that Mr. Obama's plan to lower health costs while expanding coverage and bureaucracy is a myth, a promise of something that never was and never will be -- a bureaucracy lowering costs in a free society. Either the costs go up or the free society goes away.

These are perilous times. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, our Secretary of State, has given Iran the go-ahead to have nuclear weapons, an unqualified betrayal of the nation. Now, we face a devastating loss of freedom at home in health care. It will be joined by controls on our lives to "protect us" from global warming, itself largely a fraud if believed to be caused by man.

Mr. Obama knows Americans are getting wise and will stop him if he delays at all in taking away our freedoms.

There is his urgency and our opportunity. Once freedom is lost, America is lost. Wake up, beloved America.

June 17th!

Today is our 3rd Anniversary. 3 YEARS! We have been on quite the adventure.

This morning Ben and I were thinking back on our anniversaries. First of all we had the most beautiful, picture perfect wedding. Just a small gathering on the beach. As you can see from the pic, it was a perfect day.
Year one: he surprised me with a trip to a hot springs resort.
Year two: I surprised him with a trip to SD.
Year three: We bought a Wii and have been having a lot of fun with it!

I like anniversaries!

Ben, I am honored and blessed that God chose me to be your wife. That I get to be on this adventure with you. That I get to watch you grow. That I get to be part of this process. That I get to be part of the good times and bad times.

I am proud of you and I am excited to see what God is doing and is going to do in the future.

I LOVE YOU BENJ.


PS: PTL we weren't called in for jury duty today!

allergies and tornadoes

I never had a problem with allergies until I moved here to Colorado. There is a cottonwood tree around here that blows all this white stuff around. And it's making me miserable. My eyes are so dry I can't even put my contacts in. Just so happens that our apartment complex is name Cottonwood Creek. So you can imagine how much of this stuff is blowing around at home. UGH! I need to go buy some Claritin.

As for tornadoes... yesterday there were 5 tornadoes in the Denver area! Thankfully not near us we just got rain. I think Littleton is too close to the mountains to have tornadoes. But this morning I heard about the golf ball size hail and all the damage caused by the weather yesterday... check it out.