Colorado!

We just got home from our trip to Colorado about an hour ago!! I am so excited to be back in our home that I can't go to sleep yet...poor Dave is much more tired than I, though, since he did the majority of the driving today! We had a wonderful trip! Here are a few snapshots of it!

Our first stop was last Friday in Denver, where we met our friends Amanda, Jeremy, Emma, & Jacob at Starbucks. It was so fun to see all of them! David and I had a great time meeting the twins and talking with Amanda and Jeremy! We are hoping they'll visit Texas sometime!
Then we headed to the Greeley area, where we spent the night with Dave's college roommate, Kenny, and his wife, Carla, and their 2 1/2 week old baby, Edward Henry. We had a wonderful evening reconnecting with these dear friends and cooing over little Eddie!!
In this picture, Eddie is wrapped in a beautiful afghan that my grandma made for him!

Here's Dave and Kenny enjoying their drink of choice from TU days--Vernor's!

After saying good-bye to the Overton's, we drove to Loveland to visit Grandpa Rinn, where he is staying for the summer. We went to a pancake breakfast with him, and then spent the morning touring the trailer park where he is staying, catching up, and enjoying Frosties at Wendy's!

From there we left for Steamboat, but we took a different route & drove through Rocky Mountain National Park, which was breathtaking! We drove on the highest maintained road in America, which provided amazing views! We also saw moose and elk. What an amazing Creator God is!!

We had a great time in Steamboat with all the Rinns! All of us were together, including Jon's fiancee, Kristy! I am excited that there is another girl joining the family! It was very special for all of the Rinn boys to be home on Father's Day! We enjoyed Susie's delicious cooking, boated and grilled on Steamboat Lake, talked about wedding plans, made s'mores and talked around the firepit, went golfing (just the guys), and took family photos!

We also visited the ranch where Michael is working, and the peacock following us around there made me very nervous! (You can see part of it in the picture below.) While at the ranch, Michael tried to trick Susie and me with a rubber snake--I screamed so loud my voice was hoarse for the next day! I was ready to leave the ranch after that! ;)
Here are the boys (minus Michael) after their early morning golf game!

This was our "modern" pose...Note Jon and Kristy's dogs in the middle....kissing? ;)

...and the best pose! David did a great job arranging all the shots and then running to his spot before the camera took the pic!
On Tuesday we headed to Keystone for our anniversary getaway! We stayed in an amazing 2-story "loft" room with a beautiful view. We had a fabulous time together--reading, relaxing, & eating delicious food. We also played many games of Scrabble, which got so intense that we had to go into town to get a Scrabble dictionary! David also got to play his favorite round of golf (yet!) at the River Course at Keystone! He got paired up with 3 elderly ladies for the first 9 holes--hilarious! They all loved him, of course! Then, I joined him for the back 9, which he played solo. The scenery was stunning, so I really enjoyed riding around with him and watching him play!
Here are a few last pics of us enjoying Keystone!!! It was hard to leave the beautiful mountains, but we are also thankful to be back home!
Dave's golf adventures


We spent lots of time reading...

...and celebrating our 4th anniversary!

4 Years Together!

It's hard to believe that it was 4 years ago today that we said "I do!!" These four years have gone by so fast...which isn't hard to believe when you're married to your best friend and true love!

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is as strong as death. Many rivers cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away." Song of Solomon 8:6a & 7a

The Rest of the Babies!

I realized that I never blogged about the rest of the sweet babies that were born to all of our friends this spring!!

#3--Trenton Caleb Sprowl, March 8, 2007 (We need to get a picture of Trenton!!)

#4--Beckett Harrison Russell, March 19, 2007

#5--John Lake Patterson, May 22, 2007



Jenny and I just visited Kimi & Lake this morning! It was such a precious visit! Little Lake was born 5 weeks early, but he is doing great!!

#6--Edward Henry Overton, May 28, 2007
We will get to meet this little guy this weekend in Greeley, Colorado!

Revive Our Hearts Conference

A few years ago, I did a Bible study with some girls from Keystone on the book Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. The foundational truths in this book were amazing and truly helped me in a variety of ways!! The author, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, has a God-given gift for helping women experience true life in Christ! Since that Bible study, I have tried to read more of Nancy's book (the current one I'm working on is Biblical Womanhood in the Home) and listen to her radio shows.

And now.....my mom and I are SO excited, because Nancy Leigh DeMoss is coming to my mom's church (Denton Bible) to present a conference the last weekend in September. Nancy has become one of my favorite speakers (along with Beth Moore). This is going to be an awesome day and a half of teaching, and I'd love for all of my Texas girlfriends to join us!! You can read more about the conference here.

And for those of my sweet friends who are too far away, I'd encourage you to try to catch one of her radio shows whenver you can--either on the radio or online! You will be blessed by her honest, practical, and Truth-filled teaching!

Out for Tea!

Yesterday, my grandma, mom, and I had lunch at the Secret Garden Tea Room, which is in a huge antique mall in downtown Ft. Worth. I had been introduced to this quaint little place earlier this spring by my friend Lauren. It was such a special time for the 3 of us to share together; we ate delicious quiche, fruit, and an amazing blonde brownie dessert. Mom and Grandma drank coffee (which, thankfully for them, they did serve at the tea room!), and I had apricot mango iced tea (so good!!!). My grandma is leaving tomorrow to return to Minnesota, so we are trying to make as many memories as we can while she is in Texas! So with that, I am off to play another game of Scrabble with her...(I have not succeeded in beating her yet!!)

Home to Minnesota!

Last week, I had a great visit home to the Homeland, Minnesota!! It was a perfect way to start my summer! I spent Tuesday and some of Wednesday with my dear friends Audra and Nicole and their new babies, Israel Hope (Audra's baby girl) and Beckett Harrison Russell (Nicole's baby boy). We had a great time going to Panera, walking along the river, playing with the babies...and, of course, what would a trip to Minnesota be without a visit to Caribou Coffee! (I am happy to report that I went 3 times in 5 days--same order each time: decaf non-fat, lite whip Mint Condition!--YUM!!).
This picture proves I can handle twins!! ;)

On Wednesday evening I headed up north to Sturgeon Lake to visit my dear mentor, Doreen. Doreen was the children's director at Redeemer Covenant Church, where I grew up, and we became very close throughout my high school years. I will always be thankful for the godly advice she gave me!! I was able to meet her four children (the last time I saw her, her oldest was a newborn!)--Seth, Annika, Jakob, and Lukas. I am so glad I was able to spent time with this wonderful family!! Being at their home up north made me very nostalgic for northern Minnesota--the lake, pine trees, and cool air were beautiful!

I am also thankful for the time I was able to spend with my Grandma Dolores. I stayed at her house, and we played several games of UpWords (she beat me bad each time!), went to a wonderful gift shop, and spent A LOT of time looking at old scrapbooks and picture books. I credit my love of photos to her!! We had so much fun. My Grandma flew back with me to Texas, and I am happy to report that getting through security and our whole flight went very smoothly together!
On Friday evening, my aunt Vonne, Grandma, and I drove down to my Grandpa Ozzie's grave. My Grandpa Ozzie passed away almost 2 years ago now, on June 21, 2005. His grave was still beautifully decorated from Memorial Day!


I was also able to catch up with Jodie, a friend from Fourth Baptist! We had so much fun talking--our time together seemed to fly by!

I also saw Nikki, a friend from Covenant Pines! She is sporting a cute prego belly! ;) (Sorry Nikki--we forgot to take a picture!).

And, I also had lunch with my cousin Seth, his wife Heather, and my aunt Erika!


It was so wonderful to spend time with my dear loved ones up north--hope to see you all sometime soon in Texas!!