Sprinkler Fun!

Sarah and I visit Mary Washington

Sunday afternoon, Sarah and I made a spontaneous roadtrip (one hour south) to Fredericksburg so I could show her my Alma Mater: Mary Washington College (now called the University of Mary Washington...I'm still in denial). It was an absolutely gorgeous day; perfect weather for an excusion to a beautiful college campus. We enjoyed sitting on the rocks of the Rappahannock River, playing frisbee in Ball Circle, driving through downtown,and eating Carl's ice cream.

In front of Monroe Hall.

Congrats to Kate & Graham!

Graham proposed to Kate on May 5th (and she said yes)!!! :) Here are some pics from their engagement party on May 6th.





Her ring's SO GORGEOUS...
...I had to put on my shades. :)

slip n slide

When's the last time you played with a slip n slide? (I think for me it was Kansas1995 at Jr. high youth group. We were having a "Jell-o Bowl," so the slip 'n slide was coated in Jell-o. It was awesome and very fun, until a friend of mine fell and hit her head and got a minor concussion.)

A few days ago when I was baby-sitting we got the slip n slide out and they played for about two hours straight.

For some reason, it looked much shorter and smaller than I remember it being when I was a kid. :)

William and Elizabeth, two of the coolest kids in the world.

Conversation with William during lunch:

W: My uncle has a beard. He's pretty radical though.
R: Radical? What do you mean?
W: He's cool. Really cool.
R: Oh okay...Am I radical, William?
W: No. You're a girl. Girls aren't radical. Unless they're surfers.
R: Oh.
W: I'm pretty sure my uncle 'hangs ten.'

Denver-Bound

Most of you probably already know this via mass email or Facebook, but I'm heading to Colorado in just a few weeks (move-out date: Monday, June 4th) to complete my graduate school at Denver Seminary. This decision was based on a number of reasons:

-I knew I wouldn't be able to finish my degree via distance, so I would have to move to either VA Beach (and continue at Regent) or transfer to another school.
- Colorado seems like a great place to live (I interned out there one summer and always hoped to return).
-Denver Sem. has strengths in the areas I'd like to become stronger in (pastoral counseling and spiritual formation).
-The school has a stellar mentoring program.
-I have a handful of friends there,including my mentor and his family.
-There are tons of churches and ministries in the Denver/Co Springs area.

It's hard to think about leaving Virginia and all of my wonderful friends here, but I'm looking forward to what the Lord has in store in this next chapter. Right now I'm feeling all sorts of emotions, but mostly excitement. Last Friday I turned in my final assignment--a term paper for New Testament 2: Acts-Revelation--so I'm officially finished with my first year of seminary and my time with Regent University.

Now I'm gearing up to move out west. And songs like Chapman's "This is the Great Adventure," Dixie Chicks' "Wide Open Spaces," and John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" are on replay in my head. :)

Also, my roommies are hosting a little shin-dig on Saturday, June 2nd, starting at 8pm. If you're in town, stop on by and say good-bye!

"She was born in the summer of her twenty-sixth year..."

National Gallery of Art: March 29th

Took the kids to the National Gallery of Art for a wonderful tour of religious art. The docent was amazing; she had the entire group of kids (and adults) captivated for over an hour.

Two of the coolest kids in the world by the fountain while we wait for the Museum's doors to open. :)

I have to admit, this painting kinda makes me laugh...what do you suppose Daniel's thinking/praying?

Erin's baby shower: March 24

Erin and her two grandmothers. Erin named her daughter (Campbell Rebecca) after her grandmother, Reba , on the left.

Erin and Katie and me...a little college reunion.

Erin's lovely corsage included a rattle. (had to get a photo of that!) :)

Mrs. Witthoefft, Erin, and her sister, Lauren.


(By the way, that dessert was incredible!)

Dad in Phoenix, Mom to follow soon.

In early April, my Dad began his new job in Phoenix, AZ. He's living in a furnished apartment and house-hunting. All of the potential houses have pools in the backyard, and some have hot tubs too!! I think I'm going to enjoy my visits out there. :)


He seems to be doing well and acclimating to the desert temperatures. Mom's already been out there once to visit and she'll move out there after her job contract is over in late June.


First picture is the view from outside my dad's office; second is from a trip to Sedona.

Modular Week at Regent: March 5-9th

I spent a week attending class at Regent's main campus in Virginia Beach. I got to stay with Dana, a good friend from college, in her apartment directly accross the street from the Chesapeake Bay beach. It was an awesome week!

AND I'M BACK!

So sorry I've been so delinquent with the blogging over the past couple of months!

Lack of blogging was caused by a conglomeration of reasons, including (but not necessarily limited to) :

- I became a member of Facebook, an online community that allows members to view photos, make updates, and leave messages. Yes, it's very similar to a blog, but not a suitable substitute. I feel like I neglected my "first love." (Incidently, if you're not already a member, you should sign up. It's free and easy-to-use and really helpful with keeping in touch with people!)

- My laptop had some major issues back in early March. Long story short, I ended up reformatting the laptop and using an IBM thinkpad (thanks, Matt!) to finish up my semester. This thinkpad is great, but for a long time I couldn't upload my photos from my camera, thus I ignored the blog.

- I had no idea my blog posts would be so sorely missed! Thanks to your prompts (and because I'm a people-pleaser), I've rededicated my commitment to blogging.

So, there you have it. Now, because of the backlog, I'm going to post a few entries simultaneously. These entries will attempt to cover the highlights of my life since February 25th (although I'm sure several funny stories will inadvertantly get left out.)

Feel free to comment away--you know it helps my self-esteem to see people's responses.

Ahh....It's great to be back. :)