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.

Transitions

I DO NOT deal with transitions well. And I know God is really working on me in this area... why else would we be here in Denver where every few months our world flips upside-down.

Last week Ben had his finals for his Spring 2009 classes. I am so proud of him for finishing another semester- a really tough semester!! I mean a boring Old Testament class (where the prof made the students buy 10 of HIS books for the class) and STATISTICS (need I say more?).

Well we had a great weekend last weekend before the mayhem started again. We had a date night on Friday and saw the new Star Trek movie - which I must say was GREAT!

Then Monday came and the roller coaster started again.

This week Ben started 2 new jobs which means training, an online class with a lot of busy work, and continued with his internship.

I finally got comfortable with the schedule and it changed again. I guess God doesn't want me comfortable :) There is a time and place for everything. I will have my comfortable time one day.

I also will really miss my Starbucks' Chai now that Ben is no longer working there.

hummmm

It's been a while since I've written anything interesting.

Colorado weather struck again this past week. Monday morning I woke up to another snow blizzard (a "surprise blizzard") but by yesterday it was in the 70s again. I guess I can't complain that the snow never stays around.

I started knitting a sweater for my niece, Rachel. I hope to have it done by her 1st b-day in October. Here are some pics of the first 4 inches:





I'll keep you updated on the progress. These 4 inches took me about 5 hours total. I'm learning as I go, so it'll be a long process.

What the????

If you were to go to Weather.com right now and look at the weather for the 80123 zip code. You will see first that it's a beautiful 71 degree day and right above it there is a orange "WINTER STORM WARMING" warning flashing at you.

I ask you how is that possible? It's 71 degrees and they are threatening us with 10-30 inches of SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Welcome to Denver!

Just Because

Today I have to take sometime and BRAG about my wonderful husband.

Over the weekend, I felt really ucky. PMSy, and drained.... ya know. Well when I got home from work yesterday, Ben (in his few precious hours at home in the morning) cleaned up the whole apartment, and left me little love notes and thank you notes all over, and gave me a 'coupon' for a date night this week! Then after a full 10 hour day he went out of his way and bought me this huge beautiful bouquet of flowers!

He is truly the most amazing hubby EVER! God has blessed me beyond measure!

Passover

HAPPY PASSOVER EVERYONE!

Pros and Cons

Facebook Pros and Cons that is....

Pros:
Great tool to catch up and keep in touch with friends!

Cons:
Stalker-types

As not to go into too much detail. Last Friday I had a FB (facebook) scare. I noticed that someone was prying into my life and the lives of my family members using FB. There is no reason, that I can think of, why this person should be friends with some of my family. He's never met them and most likely never will.

Well the good thing about FB is that you can delete people like that from your "friends". So that's what I did. I now have fewer "friends"- per say, but I feel much better about the whole thing.

You know you feel old when...

My oldest and dearest friend, Becca, had baby #2 last week. Caleb Ryan Quinby. I get to meet him next week. I'm so excited!

You can check out picture of this precious baby and the family here.

The Egg

I am sitting here at work eating my hard boiled egg and realizing.... I love the egg! I think I have my father to thank for my love of the egg.

I remember growing up having eggs so much that they mistook my mildew allergy for an egg allergy (that's a long story for another time). But through this mishap, a family tradition evolved. Every Sunday morning.. and I mean EVERY... my dad made breakfast. Eggs ~ With turkey bacon, toast or bagel, or his special homemade homefries.

The egg creations came in all forms. Hard boiled. Over easy. Cheese and/or veggie omelet. Bagel sandwich.

I think my dad has always had a dream of being a short order cook or a B&B owner. ;)

If you were to go to my parents house, you would always find plenty of eggs in the fridge and most likely there would be a few hard boiled in there just for a quick snack/meal.

Well now my wonderful husband makes breakfast for me every morning. Yep, you guessed it.. Eggs. And he is so good at it too. yummmm.

Ya know.. there's always the chocolate egg, too :)

Fergie

Fergie got her big girl shots yesterday. Ben and I took her to the vet for her rabies vaccinations and a heartworm test.

For normal people with normal dogs, going to the vet shouldn't and usually isn't a stressful event. But I never grew up with "normal" dogs. Most of the dogs we owned were rescue dogs. And anyone whose owned a rescue dog knows they usually come with issues.

One dog we had, Mugsy, had the most issues. He was a lovable and beautiful and smart German Shepherd. But we were his 3rd home by the time he was 3. Not good for a dog who is bred to be loyal to 1 person. With lots of work and structure, he turned out pretty good.

Anywho, taking Mugsy to the vet was a 3 man job. One person had to go in first and make sure the parking lot and vet waiting area was clear of all other animals. Mugsy went BONKERS when other dogs were around. Man 2 brought Mugsy in - who was usually my mom because my mom was his #1 alpha. It was very stressful to take him anywhere!

So these experiences leave lasting impressions. When you have a psycho dog you learn things. You learn to be very aware of your surroundings before your dog is, you learn how read the dogs emotions before they can react, you learn to prevent run aways and fights. All the while you are scared to bring your dog anywhere, let them of leash with no boundaries, and leave the trash where they can get it. :)

You take these things with you with every dog. But then there's Fergie.

She is sweet, smart, happy and tries so hard to please. Even with hesitantance I let her off leash, and she stays close by. I take her in the car, and she just sits quietly until we get back. I can leave the trash out and she knows that's off limits.

And yesterday we took her to the vet. She was an angel. She loved the vet, who was WONDERFUL with her. She didn't mind the shots or the blood test or exam. She just laid down in the room and let the Dr. pet her and play with her. They exchanged kisses. It was such a great experience for all.

Honestly, I was anxious going to the vet, but I need to learn to trust Fergie. She's earned it.

Purim

HAPPY PURIM everyone! If you don't know what Purim is.. Shame on you! No, just kidding. Purim is the holiday the Jews celebrate to commemorate the story of Esther.

Esther is my favorite Bible character. I remember my first Bible was a picture Bible and I had my mom read that story over and over and over. I even remember the pictures so clearly! Esther was so beautiful.

Another memory I have of Purim is the Purim plays my Sunday School class put on every year. Now mind you my Sunday School class consisted of me, my brother- Bryan, and my cousin- Emily. Of course ever year I HAD.. I mean threw a temper tantrum HAD.. to be Esther. Which means my brother always played both King Ahasuerus and Mordecai. And poor Emily always ended up playing Haman, the bad guy. EVERY YEAR! I think maybe the last year we did it, Emily got to play Esther. I'm so sorry Emily. Looking back, I was quite a brat for doing that.

The plays were simple, but meaningful. My mom and aunt put so much work into them and trying to get the 3 of us to perform it with some historical accuracy. I remember these noise makers that every time the name Haman was mentioned, everyone Booed and made noise. So much fun to elementary school kids.

The other great thing about Purim is the hamentaschen. I guess all Jewish holidays come with some great sweets. You can't separate us Jews and our food or a reason to eat. :)

My interesting fact about the book of Esther is that the word "GOD" isn't mentioned once. But God plays an important part in the story.

My favorite verse in Esther is 4:16. It shows her faith and courage and her willingness to risk her life to save her people:

"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

Happy Purim everyone!

Summer - Good, Wind - Bad

This week has been in the 70s so far- mostly 75! Monday was so beautiful and I actually got a little sun burn during my lunch hour. Tuesday and Today are amazing days too. Could Spring be here? I still have a feeling that Winter will strike one more nasty time before we can say Spring has taken over. But for now I must say it feels so good to be in flip-flops.

As much as I'm enjoying this amazing weather... with the Spring also comes WIND.... hard nasty loud WIND. At night it howls something awful! Unfortuately our dog is terrified of wind... i mean shaking and whining and restless. So at night time when the wind is howling she doesn't sleep, which means we don't sleep. I think the thing that frightens her the most are when the blinds rattle. When it's 70 outside, we like to sleep with the windows open, but the wind makes this tough. I'm gonna get curtains this weekend and maybe that will help.

Does anyone have a solution to this problem? Whether it's a way to train Fergie not to fear the wind and rattling blinds or a way to mute the windy noises?

Last night was a windy night and Fergie (nor Ben and I) didn't sleep. Even this morning she wouldn't come out from under the bed and she was whining something awful. So before I left for work I turned on the radio for her. She came out for a treat and actully started to relax because she couldn't hear the wind. I left the radio on when I left hoping the poor puppy would be able to relax a little while home alone. Silly puppy.

It's been a while

I haven't written in a while, but there's not much to tell.

My life is pretty routine at the moment. Work 8-5, M-F. Work around Ben's schedule. He is very busy, some days I don't see him till 9 or 10 at night. :(

My weeks go by quickly:
-Monday work 8-5 and have dinner with Ben whenever he gets home. He has a class at 6:30AM then internship till about 8 at night.
-Tuesday work 8-5 and have dinner with Ben and Watch 24 (online because we don't have a TV). Ben has a class in the morning then internship again till late.
-Wednesday work 8-5, the week is half over. Ben is home all day so after work we have a grocery shopping date :)
-Thursday work 8-5 and then if Ben works I don't see him till late and I stay home and knit :)
-Friday work 8-4 and then Ben is home during the day then usually works at night (I sometimes see him pulling out of our apartment). I am home knitting again. I need and like the quiet times
-Saturdays and Sundays are usually pretty low key. Clean house, run errands, church, make meals for the week. and hang out with Ben when he's home.
Then it's Monday all over again....

I'm going to my parents house for a week in March. I can't wait to see Rachel, my niece. I miss all my family as well. I'll post pics.

My dog is doing well. She is such a joy and a big goober.

Well there's not much else to tell. I am very blessed and loving life.

Hannah

Ben and I have friends, the Eriksens who live in Southern CA. They have 2 little girls, Hannah and Lily. Hannah is 7 or 8 and they just adopted Lily from China I believe in August or September. Well right after Thanksgiving Hannah came down with this very unusual disease. She has pretty much been in 3 different hospitals since Thanksgiving. Here is her blog: HANNAH

Please pray for Hannah and her family. It's been really tough on them, and it's going to be a long road to recovery!