Life in Cheyenne

I've been in Cheyenne for six weeks now. It's hard to believe it's already been that long - it feels like just last week I said goodbye to Boise friends and colleagues. And yet, I also can't believe it's only been six weeks. How quickly I seem to have adapted to this new location, life, and position.

I love it here! I love the friendliness of the people and how easy it is to get involved in the community. I've been accepted into the Leadership Cheyenne program, to start in the fall, and I'm also looking at joining a community choir. I'm trying to be careful though - I know this position has the potential to require extra time (although I'm trying to keep to 45 or so hours per week), and in the fall I'll start my PhD program again. I don't want to over-commit, but I want to do it all!

We've survived a couple of hailstorms and some odd weather, but that we can handle. Josh is here for another two weeks before he travels back to Boise to prepare for his mission trip to Cambodia. He'll return to Cheyenne in late August and settle in for the winter.

We are enjoying the new adventure, and pray daily that God's will is clear as we step in faith. This relocation has been full of tremendous blessings, and I am excited for the journey!

Retreat versus Refresh

I was privileged to attend a retreat last weekend; however, once I arrived, we were told that we were actually attending a refresh. We did not want to retreat from the world; instead, we wanted to refresh ourselves and our spirits to go back into the world.

It's not rocket-science, but the shift in perspective was encouraging. It has helped me return from the weekend, back into my daily life, with intention to live out the lessons taught. I want to focus on the eternal more than the temporal, love people more openly, and spend time with Him more consistently.

I am refreshed, and looking forward to living it out.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Davis Family!

2013 brought a number of changes, and some incredible lessons.

1. Josh transitioned into full-time volunteer work / ministry with the homeless population in downtown Boise.

As Josh ministers, and I am privileged to join him at least once a week, we have learned to be less judgmental and more forgiving. We have also learned to be more grateful for all that we have. We have met some amazing people - both homeless and other volunteers - and have shared in some

2. Josh's parents moved to Boise.

We love having family nearby! We are able to have weekly family dinners, and share in life's journey with those we love on a day-to-day basis. Email, phone, and social media have provided opportunities to share with those both near and far, but having family physically close is a wonderful blessing, and we are so grateful for the support, encouragement, friendship, and time we are able to share with one another.

3. We moved into an RV.

I'm still a little bit astounded by this particular transition, and how much we are enjoying it! We are learning to live more simply. We are spending more time together. We are less worried about having/keeping/maintaining/pursuing stuff. We think about what we want, why we want it, and if we need it, before we purchase it. We are living more day-to-day and appreciate the gift each day is. We are learning to be more adaptable (this lesson is mostly for me!) and less worried about expectations - our own, and others.

4. Josh is preparing for a mission trip to El Salvador.

We've talked about mission trips for years, but the timing hasn't been right. Late this fall, Josh felt the call to join a group traveling to El Salvador in February. We've taken every step in faith, not knowing how it would come together, and have been richly blessed as we follow God's will. The financing came through, thanks to the generous donations of family and friends, within ten days. Not only was the mission trip covered (which was our initial request) but the cost of airfare has also been covered. We are in awe of God's working through others as Josh prepares to travel, and continue to request prayers and words of encouragement.

Those are the major highlights. :) There are more, but not all are solely about us. Suffice to say, we are works in progress; however, we are progressing! As we prepare for 2014, Josh will continue to serve within the homeless population, and will share pictures and experiences from his mission trip. I am still working full-time and also pursuing my PhD. I love to join Josh as often as possible to prepare and serve meals in downtown Boise. The kids are doing very well - Donovan is thriving in the diesel mechanic program as he continues his junior year, and Audri is excelling academically as she prepares for high school next year.

We are looking forward to 2014, and continuing live the lessons we have learned in 2013.  We look forward to visits with friends and family throughout the year, and are so grateful for the relationships that strengthen, encourage, and sustain us. 

Happy New Year!

Emotional Attachment to Stuff - Storage Cleaning Part I

Today was the first day of our storage cleaning. We didn't get as much accomplished as we hoped, but Josh has been sick with the flu and it was pretty warm outside. Between the two, we weren't able to complete the project. However, we were able to get through about half of the unit.

It's amazing to me how much emotional attachment I had to some of the stuff... from pictures to appliances, extra kitchen stuff to projects...

For example:

• The bottling kit we purchased the year we wanted to make root-beer with the kids; 
• The canning kit we purchased when we planted a huge garden; 
• The popcorn popper from Christmas when we had movie marathons because I was not feeling well; 
• The extra TV trays from before we had a kitchen table; 
• Boxes of office supplies - pens, paper, envelopes, paperclips - when we started the website company;
• And so much more.

We are going through the process of identifying what will come the RV, what will stay in storage, what we will sell, and what we will donate. It's a liberating step - freedom from the trappings of things, no matter how wonderful the memories, because we no longer use or need them.

I feel good!

Our New Home

We are simplifying our lives! It's a new adventure. :)

Moving into an RV gives us the opportunity to sort through our "stuff" and figure out what we really need, what we want, and what we can let go of.

So - details. We bought a 25' Monterey Road Ranger:

From the door - the kitchen/dining area

 

 The bedroom space - I couldn't get back far enough to get a better picture. :)

 The bunk beds - for now they are stacked with clothing, but we are sorting through and minimizing... we'll keep the top bunk for storage, but want to open up the bottom bunk as an extra bed. Of course, we also have the couch, so we can still host company!

We're settling in nicely. We are looking for the right accessories (i.e., a small knife block, a small dish-drainer, etc...) so the kitchen works a little bit more effectively. We're also trying to figure out where to put the small television, and are thinking about removing one of the kitchen benches to open up the space a bit and put in a small chair. 

All in good time. :)

Quote of the Day

"Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some." – Robert Fulghum

This resonated with me, and I wanted to share it. I seek to live in a state of wonder, a state of gratitude and awareness for all I am, all I have, and all I hope to become.

Travel Time, Work Time?

I generally travel by plane, leaving lots of time while traveling to catch up on work... waiting at the gate, reading while flying, etc...

Thursday I'm traveling to Seattle.

I had to remind myself three different times today that I am driving... because three different times I said or thought, "oh, I'll prepare that / read that / write that while I'm traveling this week." Ummm, no.

I'm looking forward to the small road trip. It's been a long time since I've driven more than a couple of hours, and the quiet time will be good for me. If, of course, I can talk myself out of bringing work to do in Seattle upon my arrival. I will not be working while driving!

Leadership = Listening

I've been the "acting director" the last two weeks at work, and have been reminded of many important leadership lessons. The number one lesson: leadership = listening. Listening is not one of my strengths; my extroverted self tends to verbally process, meaning my mouth is often moving before my brain has engaged.

I've been aware of this for years, and have invested a great deal of energy in keeping my mouth closed. Last week, I realized that I still have some work to do. If I want to be an effective leader, I need to focus on listening.

I don't think I've ever wished for big ears before...

Slowing Down a Little...

I have decided that I need to slow down a little. I want to accomplish so many things! However, I'm recognizing my own limitations, and that trying to do everything, all at once, does not allow me to excel at anything.

The challenge for me has always been that I like everything that I am involved with! I don't want to give anything up... so, the compromise is to just do a little less of a few things. Instead of taking 2 courses per quarter, I'll take 1 (yes, I did just drop a class. I'm working through the guilt of that one). Instead of teaching 6 credits per semester, I'll teach 3. And, instead of trying to be everything to everyone, I'll focus on being the best ME I can be, recharging myself and giving myself the same grace that I would extend to others...

Check up on me. I'll probably forget this in a month and will need a reminder that it is okay to be a work in progress. :)

Saying Goodbye to the Elberts

We loved having Mike and Amanda in town for a few months. It was even better that they lived only a mile and a half away. I had so much fun being an aunt in person, not just over the phone

Before they left, the family stayed with us for the weekend. I loved it! The kiddos were having fun, I got lots of hugs and snuggles, and there were more people to cook for. It was an all around win. :)

 Kaiya, patiently waiting for the chocolate chip cookies that we made together to cool enough for her to eat them.

Snuggled together watching The Avengers... and yes, Aunt Jaime may have given them too many cookies, and let the kids eat them in the living room. :)

We were sad to say goodbye, but loved the time we shared together!

Watching the Super Bowl... For the Food...

We aren't football fans. We tried a few years ago... we picked a team whose colors we liked... but that didn't last for long. So, we watch the Super Bowl, kind of, mostly so we can eat all the fun snack foods.

Today was a potluck with Mike and Amanda... I set out cheese, crackers, and summer sausage. 

I also made Bacon Cheeseburger Biscuit Balls:

Baked Potato Skins:

(sour cream and green onion added individually to satisfy personal tastes)

And Peach Crisp - thanks to Amanda's mom's canned peaches:

Amanda brought 7-layer dip and chips and homemade pizza. We had so much food!

The game isn't quite over, but we're about done eating. I'm not sure we'll make it to the end now... but we might get in some leftovers as a snack before bed!

Babysitting

Last night we had the pleasure of babysitting Mike and Amanda's kiddos. Love them! Cam wasn't feeling well, so when he asked to watch a movie we couldn't say no. 

Once the movie was on and Cam had his blankie, he was feeling the need to cuddle.

My favorite part? That he put his hands up behind his head... in true Elbert style. :)

Oh, and that his cute little belly is hanging out. 

Kaiya chose not to wear any clothes for the evening; she had her swimsuit on when we arrived, but it made her "too hot" so she had to take it off shortly after her parents left. Needless to say, I didn't take any pictures of her, although she was very cute. 

 

Kaiya informed me after dinner that she had a plan for the evening agenda: "I was thinking that we could play duck-duck-goose, hide-and-seek, and then color some pictures with my new markers." 

 

Of course she had a plan! She is my niece. And we did play hide-and-seek and color... but duck-duck-goose wasn't in the cards for the adults in the house. :)

We had a great time babysitting Kaiya and Cam!

Cooking Together

Josh is a great cook. Seriously! I just love to cook, so generally don't invite him into the kitchen. Well, that and he tends to be a little messier than I am...

Anyhow, there are some things he just prepares better than I do, like fried rice. Tonight's dinner was stir-fry (Pork and Vegetables in Hosein Sauce) and it seemed like a good night for fried rice rather than steamed. So I invited Josh to cook with me.

It was lovely!

Our kitchen is fine for me, but not ideal for 2. However, we danced our way through prep and shared the stove-top so we could prepare our meal together. And it was delicious!

I'm not sure my overly controlling self can take it every night, but I think we might have to cook together more often. It was a wonderful experience, and reminded me again that I love my husband. We complement each other well.

Holidays 2012

We love the holidays! Yesterday was special - we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one with the kids, being thankful for one another and our time together. 

The day started with caramel-pecan cinnamon rolls, then presents: 

 Our tradition is to take turns wearing the Santa hat - I put on that hat and hand someone a gift. Then, whoever opened their gift puts on the hat and hands out another gift. And around we go! Josh looks the best in the hat. :)

Josh made Donovan armor - pictured is the breastplate. This was an intensive project - Josh spent hours cutting, staining, and piecing the leather. The sides will be stitched now that we can fit it to Donovan.

 Mike had lots of help opening his Wii hunting game.

 Kaiya had her eyes on this doll a couple of weeks ago, unbeknownst to us! We were glad to find out we'd picked well. :)

 Each year we take the kids shopping so they can pick things out for each other. Usually, with the last few dollars, they pick out candy and such - this year, Audri gave Donovan cookies, as well as an Axe body wash and cologne kit (not pictured).

 Audri is opening a beautiful necklace that Donovan picked for her. Somehow I did not get a picture of the necklace once opened. In this picture, you can also see the skateboard Audri received from us.

 The kids got beanies in their stockings. Donovan wore his while opening some of his presents.

 Josh received a camouflage beanie from Audri, and a new hatchet from me. I think this picture makes Josh look like quite the mountain man!

We gave Camdon a few Heroscape castles and the Marvel characters - it seems there is a tie between Captain America and Iron Man for his favorite. 

Oh - one of my presents was this beverage dispenser. :) I "opened" it early so I could use it for the day, and we used the box for some of Cam's presents.

 Mike helped open the box, and then built Cam a castle to play.

Once presents were opened, we broke out the appetizers: crackers and a cheese-ball, chips and salsa, parmesan bites, artichoke dip, and a vegetable tray.

 Kaiya liked the vegetable tray best! She ate all 10 olives off her fingers. :)

Then, we played games - Mike and Amanda brought over their Wii and we hooked it up.

 Mike played his new game, and Cam sat enthralled, waiting for his turn!

 Donovan turned on the computer and played a game that he created in his video-game class at school.

We finally ate dinner around 7 - I'm not sure we were hungry enough even then, but it was time! Turkey (deep-fried!), ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and salad. It was a team effort!

After dinner, we put a movie on for the kids, then played some games. At 9:30 we served some dessert (apple pie, pumpkin pie, and cheesecake) so Mike and Amanda could get the kids home to bed.

We had a marvelous day! It was "practically perfect in every way" (Mary Poppins is on right now, and the quote seemed to fit.) Thank you Elbert family for joining us, and contributing to the food and fun!

We love the holidays. We are grateful for one another and the time we get to spend together.

Oh - Amanda took some great pictures as well. I can't wait to see them!

Ravioli

I have decided that fresh pasta is really the way to go. It really is fairly easy to make, it just takes a bit of forethought. This weekend, I decided to make my own ravioli. I had marinara sauce that I had made from some garden-fresh tomatoes and put in the freezer, and needed something to put it on!

I decided to make large ravioli... my pasta recipe made 24 large ravioli's. I was so excited to eat them that I forgot to take a picture once they were cooked. :)

I served them with both a marinara and an alfredo sauce... both options were delicious! Thank goodness Michael, Amanda, and kiddos were available for dinner, or we would have had way too much food.

I love being in my kitchen. I love creating delicious meals to share with friends and family. This was definitely a meal I will make again!

Busyness

In church today, we heard a sermon about the dangers of busyness. Doug Fields, author of What Matters Most, writes that "busyness makes us look important but cripples our relationships. Busyness feeds our egos but ultimately starve our souls. Busyness fills our calendars but fractures our families. And busyness props up our images but shrinks our hearts."

Wow.

I am busy. We are all busy. And I can see the truth of what Fields writes in areas of my life. I do not want to be so busy that I forget my priorities, that I take my eyes off the important things. I don't want my relationships to suffer - to be crippled; I don't want my soul to be starved, my family to be fractured, or my heart to be hurt because I am too involved.

I don't know how to be less busy. I don't know what to say "no" to. At this point, I'm not sure I need to; however, I am approaching the remainder of this year with a heightened sense of awareness, watching for signs that my busyness is hurting me. Evaluation creates opportunities for change - and this seems a good time to evaluate, prior to considering New Year's resolutions, and identifying where I should be putting my energy that will keep me busy with the right things.

Highland Games

Today was the Celtic Festival and Highland Games! Josh and I went down to check out the festivities:

 The bar was set at 32' in this picture... the athletes were spearing a 16-pound bag with a pitchfork and throwing it over the bar. 

 Over 20 men lined up for the "Bonny Knees" competition - where blindfolded women felt each knee and chose who had the best ones!

 Preparing for the caper toss - the athletes tossed the log (it only counted if it completed a full end-over-end rotation) to see who could toss it the farthest.

The ladies in attire - preparing for the Bonny Knees competition.

We had a great day at the Games! We also viewed a number of vendor booths, found Josh a sporran (a piece of attire needed to complete his formal dress kilt), met a guy who teaches black-smithing (I think Josh will sign up for a class in the spring) and watched a couple of young dance groups. It was a wonderful day to be together, enjoying the sunshine, and experiencing more of Josh's heritage.

Jack has moved inside...

We first picked Jack up hoping that he and Samson would be backyard friends. They are, but they pick on each other a bit as well. Samson is missing a small piece of his ear from their "playing", and Jack has been kicked a few times. We decided that maybe it wasn't such a great idea to keep them together.

So - we've been transitioning Jack inside. He's unsure about the whole thing - he's always been an outside dog - but is starting to settle in. The first time Josh brought him in, he laid in the corner between the couch and the chair and wouldn't come out! 

Now, almost a week later, he'll only go in or out if he's on the leash, but he does like to be inside.

He loves the attention he's getting...

And after playing and wrestling, he loves to lay next to Josh and hang out.

This morning I even let him lick my plate after breakfast... that's a big deal. 

We love Jack. Actually, we've added to his name and now he's Jackson. And he's ours.

Camdon's Birthday - A Day at the Beach!

It has been so much fun having Kaiya and Camdon here... and today, we got to celebrate Camdon's 2nd birthday!

We took the kids to Lucky Peak to play at the beach.

Camdon playing in the sand with his motorcycles

Someone before us had created this little "puddle", which was perfect for the kids. They could play in the water, but knew not to go beyond the little sand berm. Camdon found a toy boat that someone else had left behind, and played with it for almost an hour.

Kaiya was doing a water dance... we all got "splashed" more than once with her water kicks!

 

 And then she was done in the water, and sat on the beach waiting for us to be ready to get dressed again. 

It was a fabulous day! The kids loved the beach (and the water), and it was nice to be outside in the sunshine.

Happy birthday, Camdon! I had a great day playing with you!

Meet Jack - Samson's New Dog

Samson is lonely. He's been the only backyard animal since Tuesday... so today we got him a dog.

Meet Jack!

Jack is 4-years old, and a lab/hound mix. He's shy, but good tempered. He is used to cows, horses, ducks, and other dogs, so we figured he'd be okay with Samson and the chickens.

The "boys" weren't too sure of each other at first:

 

 

But, then they sniffed each other out:

 

 

Then Jack barked, and spooked Samson a bit. He went to stand by Donovan - like he can really hide. :)

 

They are still getting to know each other... we hope they'll become friends, but they're both a bit skittish right now.

PS - the goats are pretty tasty. :)