Cloudcroft Family Reunion

Before I left for Guatemala, Ryann and I went with my parents and sister to a family reunion for my mom's side of the family in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. I love Cloudcroft so much, brings back so many good childhood memories:) We had a lot of fun with all of our cousins at the campground (our family didn't camp, but many of our relatvies did). Made me really really wish my grandmother didn't have Alzeimers and was able to be there to enjoy her siblings and their families, she would have had so much fun.
FUN Family Pics








S'MORES!



One of my favorite pictures: My great aunt (in upper 90s) and her great grand daughter, Elizabeth, making silly faces for the camera. So Cute.

Family Group Pic

What are y'all doing up there?

We have been so very busy the last few weeks! Three weeks after we moved up here, Ryann and I went back to Dallas, then New Mexico, and then Mark joined me for our annual Guatemala trip (blogs about all of these trips will hopefully happen soon).My little family unit is back in Seattle now until *gulp* Christmas, which is actually a good thing for our acclimation (although, hard)One of the most often asked questions of me is," Now, why and what are y'all doing up there?" Well, the why, is easy...we feel like God put us here at this time in our lives. The What is being learned right now. Mark is working so very hard learning this new job at World Concern. So far, he has loved it, which is so great to have a husband that loves his job. I am so proud of him and his leadership of our family (although I don't say it near enough)What we both love is World Concern's Mission statement which is seen here:

Road Trip to Our Next Chapter

"Go west young man"(back up: go west young man) "Go west young man, and let the evil go east"...How many of you remember this early 90s super-cheesy, contemporary Christian song? We definitely went about as far west as you can go 3 weeks ago. What a road trip. 4 days of non stop driving led to our new home and new ministry in the Seattle area. It was a long trip, but a beautiful one. How one could drive through Wyoming and Montana and doubt that there is a God is beyond me. I truly marveled at His creation for the duration of this trip. Absolutely Beautiful.
Beforehand, I was really nervous Ryann was going to look like this for most of the trip...
BUT, most of the time she looked like this. Ryann really was happy for most of the trip, Praise the Lord. I am so thankful to God for this gift, which it was truly a gift from God to have a happy toddler on a 4 day cross-country road trip.


we stayed in the teeny tiny town of Wakeeny, Kansas our first night on the road


The second day was a long one, almost 13 hours across Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming. We stayed the second night in Buffalo, Wyoming. Ryann enjoyed stretching her legs, as seen in these pictures...




The third day was long as well and had us covering Montana and some of Idaho.The third night we stayed in beautiful Coure D'Alene, Idaho. My parents love this place,and we definitely did too. Breathtakingly beautiful. We got up early the next morning and enjoyed a scenic hike and delicious lunch. With this place being only 5 hours away from Seattle, we will definitely be back for vacation in the future. After our hike and lunch, we finished our trek and arrived at our new home, a townhouse in Lynnwood, WA ( about 20 miles due north of downtown Seattle).









This is Mark's sister,Sarah Herrington. She sacrificed some of her vacation days to help us with the move. She helped us so very much with Ryann, with driving, and with providing fun conversation on those long 12 hour days. Sarah, we love you so much and are so appreciative of your selfless, huge, heart. Thank you so much for your company. You are a special one...

We are here?

Said with a question mark, because it doesn't feel real yet. After a 4 day cross-country road trip, we are officially in the Seattle area. Stay tuned for pictures of our road trip...Meanwhile,

I need to be unpacking ALL of this....

BUT, we are too Busy making bubble wrap princess costumes....

Seattle, Here we Come!

It's official....we will be residents of Seattle one month from today!! Mark accepted a job with the international development ministry, World Concern. It is a Christ-centered ministry dedicated to the poorest of the poor around the world...will write more about this later.
Please pray for us during this crazy, busy time of moving, and transitioning our lives!

Mark's 30th and Wrigley Field...a GREAT combination

Mark turned 30 on April 27 and we celebrated him by going to a CUBS game. They didn't win, but we sure enjoyed ourselves. Mark, your girls love you very much. Thank you for always taking care of us...Happy Birthday!!

The celebration of Mark came early...Mark and Ryann and the "Guadalupe River" dessert that Ryann "made" (put the chocolate chips on top and she is taking ALL the credit) :)


Before the game, we went to this little Italian restaurant that was featured on Rachel Ray...so delicious...

YAY...we are the same age...love when this happens...too many old lady jokes go on in our house

Birthday Tiramisu...that Ryann and I really enjoyed while Mark was on the phone...he was not too happy with us...

GO CUBS!




This was Ryann's first professional sports outing...she loved it and cheered "Go Cubs!!" very loudly...


It was COLD...

Wrigley field definitely had a college football game feel to it...here is a band that played outside the entrance

The view..love how you can see the lake way in the distance

The view after the sun went down

Seattle

Last weekend, Mark and I ventured up to Seattle for a job interview for Mark, and a mini-vacation for me (albeit 2 short days). We got in on a Thursday, had dinner on the water, where we ate the most delicious seafood we have ever had. Friday morning was Mark's interview...While he was interviewing, I drove around the area and saw a charming little coffee drive-thru hut (aggies, looked exactly like java jitters). Excited about going to a place like java jitters, I whipped my little rental car into the drive-thru to order my chai latte...what I didn't expect was the fact that the barista was in a string bikini...What the What?!?! nervous, I completely over-tipped. She was very nice,btw. To quote our favorite Cowboys from the Amazing Race Jet and Cord, "We are so not in the Bible Belt anymore..."
After the interview, we enjoyed downtown Seattle, Pikes Place Market, and a cozy little Italian restaurant. What a great time. What a beautiful city. What interesting and intriquing people. Will we be living there.....we shall see...

Here are some pictures of our short stay...Thanks Pappy and Lulu for watching Ryann!!