inspired by pioneer woman

a quick review: what started as a whirlwind high school romance, i know, right, basketball games, track meets, prom, those relationships never last, ended up being the best decision of my life.

homecoming - 2001

i dated a man who was sincere, loving, playful,

stp - jacksonville, florida

everyone needs a hat for christmas - 2003

married a man who was compassionate, joyful, steadfast,

and have enjoyed five years of marriage with a man who is more generous than i ever imagined,
who understands his need for a Savior more than anyone i know,
and who i love more than i ever thought possible. 

briefly, the happenings since we said "i do". . . 

we honeymooned in st. lucia

 

 it was romantic, pretty much just like the titanic

except the time spent on this sailboat when i experienced motion sickness,

so we did more stable things, like hiked the gros piton 

 made progress in our careers (for kyle it was finishing his CPA and for me, my masters)

first day of work at a "real" job

 welcomed our second niece, karley, to the family

the sweat pea with her proud brother, mason



ella, her cousin, joined the clan three months later 

ella's sister, paige

the little pumpkin before she lost her glow

celebrated our first anniversary in colorado

a bear got into the bear-proof-trashcan outside our cabin

bull elk in rocky mountain national park - 2007

traveled to arizona for the wedding of the beekeeper and his queen bee

todd and krista honeymooning in hawaii over halloween

abandoned the rules and hiked to the co river and back

south rim of the grand canyon - may 2008

declared three nieces was just not enough; jill kindly blessed us with a fourth

sweet baby kara - sept. 2008

played frisbee in the smoky mountains on our second anniversary

dominated in volleyball on huntington beach

purchased a house with a willow in the backyard.

if i was ever limited to choosing just one type of tree to grace my yard,
it would have to be the willow (oh, and that beautiful red maple)

what? you are shocked i knew it was a maple.

well i took biology from mr. yokum . . .oh and my husband tapped it for sap last year.

how could he, it's not nearly large enough!? well, he's lucky it lived.

if it grows and he ever tries it again, i will document the event.

beware: you may find him in your yard with a drill and bucket during tapping season.

celebrated many monumental birthdays:

flew to ca to surprise todd on his 50th  

craig's 30th; why yes, kyle is dressed as he-man
i was pretty proud of my contribution: hair blowing in the wind

in secret, we threw my mom a b-day bash for her 50th

then surprised jan on her 60th! yes, we are full of surprises!

teran and krista (celebrating krista's 50th)

canoed in hot springs, arkansas for our third anniversary

cheered as two cute couples said "i do"

mr. and mrs. adewunmi

jenn and i were thrilled to support allison as bridesmaids

meet evan and jenn riordan

june 2010

me with the beautiful bride

snapped a photo with the clan on my side

wrestled with the tumbleweeds in idaho

rode bikes over the golden gate bridge on anniversary four

swerved through california's famous highway 1

sipped and slurped olive oil in napa valley (yep, just like coffee taste testing)

battled bigfoot in sequoia national park

woot! ten years since our first date

 cheered as scott called to say, "america gained its independence, but i just lost mine."

the newly engaged couple on independence day

snuggled baby amos jordan

congrats jenn and evan!

finished five fabulous years of marriage

decided to go back to school to get a bachelor's in nursing
(the last day in my classroom was bittersweet. smiling here, but cried as i left)

sorry, poor picture quality -i don't have a fancy phone!

roughed it in the tetons

faithfully toured yellowstone

conquered the black hills

 survived the badlands, barely

 got our boating on at the lake

attended a few family weddings

gasped as kara nearly caught her hair on fire blowing out candles on her 3rd birthday

she's such a sweet, happy little girl!

rockin' it in the rv while enjoying the company of pioneer woman herself.
this is my inspiration for the blog; a woman from the frontier.

meet my grandmother and her homemade syrup!

okay, so truthfully my inspiration to begin a blog is jami nato. sorry grandma.

jami challenges women to record the memories of their families;

as wives and mothers, she feels it is in our job description.

so there you have it. the story of kyle and my life will be unfolding here . . .

i hope you enjoy! 

to be inspired and challenged by jami nato: http://thenatos.blogspot.com/