New Smyrna Beach

I ended up with a surprise day off on Friday (I missed the memo that we weren't working on July 5th!) and felt very strongly that Jason and I should take the day and go up to Jacksonville. He had been wanting to look at some dive gear up there, and we thought we would stop somewhere on the Coast for dinner before heading home to Orlando.

Jason decided that he would love to take me to New Smyrna Beach for seafood, where he'd spent so much time as a kid. As we drove along the coast on our way to dinner, Jason was sharing stories with me - from his youth through his college days - of what had happened here or there...

As we passed a certain beach house - Jason says, "Hey, the garage is open. I wonder if Chad is here this weekend?"

Chad is Jason's best friend from college and was the best man in our wedding. He and Jason have had a lot of fun (and trouble) together over the years, and Chad famously broke his collarbone on Jason's Bachelor trip, then spent a few days on our couch, vicodined up with his arm in a sling, snuggling with Indy. You see, Chad is a walking party - always up for a good time. And we haven't seen him since our wedding day - almost three years!

So back to the story. Jason texts Chad and Chad calls him right back. He's in New Smyrna Beach! So we invite him to join us for dinner. Dinner turns to sunset drinks on the patio at his parents beach house which turns to meeting friends of his at a restaurant, and then dancing at a bar with a live band and finally us staying the night at the beach house with nothing but the clothes on our backs. In the morning we bought cheap bathing suits (Jason's has a dragon and roses on it - see the photo below) and we spent the day in the ocean and their infinity pool - enjoying the sun and the company.

It was awesome! We had so much fun, and returned home Saturday night sunburned and wearing our dirty clothes from the day before.

I'm really trying to seize the moment and every opportunity that presents itself - this was the perfect opportunity to do so! I haven't had this much surprise fun since I got stranded at the airport in Salt Lake City and found myself sledding down ski slopes (which I will not name here) in the middle of the night.

Thanks, Chad, for hosting us so unexpectedly! It was GREAT to see you!

Easter, Wyoming Style

Happy Easter!

Our Easter Sunday in Wyoming went a little something like this:

-I woke up in a bad mood. If you know me well enough, you know that when I'm really hungry I am not a nice person. Poor Jason - I woke up that way today. Grabbed a banana and checked my mood on the way into Cody.

-Our Place was not open for Easter Sunday. This was no surprise to me, as I (in my amazing mood) had predicted it. So, we went to Granny's for breakfast instead, and it was still very good.

-We headed up the North Fork, which is the road that leads into Yellowstone Park from Cody. The park doesn't open until May 1, but we went all the way up to the road closure. A few miles before the road closure, we had our first Moose sighting. It was running along the side of the road and disappeared into the woods as only a Moose can. For their size, they are very difficult to spot! Anyhow, no photos as it happened so fast, but it was really cool!

-Saw lots of fly fishermen out on the Shoshone and it made me think of my dad. Some of the best fishing in the country is happening here right now, I guess. I know because my dad has been calling the fly shops in Cody. :)

-Went for a 3 mile hike in the Shoshone National forest up on the North Fork. It was an old burn area, and it didn't really photograph well but it was really cool looking. We saw a herd of about a hundred elk running through the hills above us - very different than coming upon them grazing in the meadows. They were headed back toward Yellowstone Park - it's that time of year. Saw some fresh bear scat on the trail, and promised dad that we won't hike again until we get some bear spray. Plus, my crankiness returned - the trail was really muddy and it made me a little crazy. I've since apologized to my husband. To keep my ears warm on the trail, Jason made me an "ear band" out of the sleeve of his undershirt. Classy. But it worked.

-Short trip to Wal Mart for some bananas, $3 cheapo slippers for my feet, $5 cheapo sunglasses that Jason won't feel bad about beating to hell, and some general browsing. Jason found this little beauty. It has a bottle opener in the brim. Classy. I did not let him buy it. It was not an appropriate purchase for Easter Sunday.

-It took us almost an hour to find an open restaurant in Cody that wasn't serving Easter Brunch at almost 3 in the afternoon. We finally found a bar that was serving really good burgers and barbecue.

-Back to the ranch for blogging and visiting. Elizabeth and Darius are having a fire down by the river, so we'll probably head down there in a little bit. :)

Hope you had a great Easter!

The BIG NEWS!

Hawkeye Ranch. Photo from Hawkeyeranch.com

We are getting ready to embark on our next big adventure - and I can FINALLY tell you about it!

Jason has been offered his dream job working with an excellent landscape photographer, doing what he's already doing right now (digital tech) and helping to open a gallery at a ranch outside of Cody, Wyoming.. Yes - Wyoming - just outside of Yellowstone Park and very close to Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. The photographer owns an incredible private ranch (www.hawkeyeranch.com) 40 miles outside of Cody. We'll be living there from April 1 until August 31. Plus, they've offered me a job running their greenhouse and taking charge of all the planting (it's massive!) and working with their private chef. I'm also hoping that I'll be able to sweet talk my way into the stables so I can assist with the grooming and exercising of the horses. I used to ride all the time when I was growing up and I miss it.

We'll be making just a little less than what we're making right now, financially, but without the burdens of rent and utilities which have become so EXPENSIVE. We're working really hard on getting out of debt and saving as much money as we can (we're going through Financial Peace University - it's AMAZING!), and this will be the perfect opportunity for us to build a nest egg. Plus we'll be in God's country (it's so gorgeous up there by Yellowstone), I'll be able to do the things I love and haven't had time for in years (horseback riding, gardening, reading, writing), and Jason will have ample opportunity to go out and shoot his own landscape photos.

After August 31, we're going to travel the Southern states for a month - visiting Jason's family and friends throughout the South - and will return to California by the first of October. I'll be able to go right back to substitute teaching and (hopefully - if they can use me!) caroling. We've been praying really hard about our direction and opportunities - and God is SO in this. He has been so good about opening doors and making our way clear that we can't worry too much about what happens after. It is so obvious to us that we are supposed to GO - the rest will come in time. We just have to move forward and live our adventure!

So that's the story - we're moving! Our little home in Redondo Beach will no longer be ours - new tenants are taking the house starting April 1, our belongings are going into storage, and we are headed out on our great adventure. We cannot wait!!!!!!!!!

Keep posted to my blog - I'll be posting photos and stories of our whole adventure, start to finish.

Hope you're living your own adventure where you're at!



Hawkeye Ranch. Photo from Hawkeyeranch.com