Giant Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

We had the most fun 4th of July weekend in Giant Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks! The sequoias are incredibly majestic and have grown for thousands of years. It was very humbling to walk among them. We also saw a black bear!! I was so excited - it was my first wild bear sighting! Unfortunately, it ran away almost as soon as we saw it, so we have no photo evidence. Kings Canyon had spectacular views and waterfalls, and when you drove deep into the canyon, there were gorgeous meadows surrounded by rock formations that reminded us of Yosemite National Park. It was a great reminder of how small we are and what an amazing world God has created!

On the road to Giant Sequoia National Park with Moro Rock in the background

General Sherman Tree - the world's largest living organism

The beautiful Congress Trail

Dan the tree-hugger! haha!

A small waterfall on Congress Trail

The root system of a fallen sequoia

Dan taking in the view on our hike up Moro Rock

The view from Moro Rock

We made it to the top!

Crescent Meadow

Driving through Tunnel Log

Dan looks like he's being eaten by a tree monster!

Debby showing off her hometown pride in front of the Tennessee Tree

Dan is standing inside a hollowed-out sequoia log! It was gigantic!

Grizzly Falls

Roaring River Falls

Debby walking through Zumwalt Meadow

Photo op at Zumwalt Meadow

Kings River

A view over Kings Canyon and Hume Lake

Awkward Pause

Debby's Mom: "When your Dad and I first got married, I asked him if there was a favorite dish that his mother cooked for him, so I could learn to make it." (Debby's parents smile lovingly at each other, Dan looks expectantly at Debby)

(Awkward pause)

Debby to Dan: "Is there anything that your mom used to microwave that you'd like me to make for you?"

We'll Miss Dave!

Last weekend we went to a BBQ hosted by our friends, Dave and Cynthia. Dave is a cardiologist in the Navy and is being deployed to Kuwait this month. We had a great time hanging out with him before he leaves the States and we can't wait until he comes back in January! We think Cynthia will miss him a little bit, too.

Debby and Cynthia on her cool new adirondack chair

Dan and Dave

Jenn, Eric, and baby James chillin' on the grass

Daisy says she'll miss Dave a lot, too!

Home Sweet ... Texas???

It all happened so fast that it's hard to believe, but my parents are no longer Nashville residents! As of this weekend, they are living in Weatherford, TX (outside of Ft. Worth), where they're surrounded by our extended family who are thrilled to finally have them closeby. My parents both grew up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and moved to Nashville right before my older brother, Paul, was born. They figured they'd be there for a few years while my dad got some work experience, and then they'd move back to TX. Well, 35 years later...they finally did!

They got an offer on their house on May 12th with the request that they move out by May 27th! Two weeks of madness ensued, including packing, letting friends and family know that they were leaving, giving notice for jobs and church responsibilities, and taking a trip to TX to find a rental house so they wouldn't be homeless. My brothers, Paul and Steve, started helping them pack the week before Memorial Day, and Dan and I flew in Memorial Day weekend to help out. We worked nonstop until moving day night, but left the house clean and empty for the new owners.

Despite the stress-induced hair loss and sleepless nights, there were some benefits of having such a quick deadline, such as:

1) There was no time to pack everything - my parents were forced to give or throw away a lot of stuff. The rule was: If they had to think for more than 5 minutes to remember what it was, it went in the give-away pile.
2) There was no time to get emotional about leaving. As soon as you stopped to consider your thoughts and feelings about leaving behind the town where all your childhood memories took place, someone shoved a box in your hands and said "go clean out the bathroom drawers." Kind of ruins the moment, if you know what I mean.
3) We burned a lot of calories.
4) Dan saw an entirely new side of my family as he watched us work together that closely for that many days. We are a quirky bunch, and I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the big move.

At long last!

My parents filled this enormous truck.

This was mostly just the stuff from the garage and attic.

Dan competes with my dad for the title of "Packing Jedi Master." Not a square inch of the box is left empty on his watch!

Three solid days of packing later, and we still love each other.

I guess we're buying dinner tonight!

Paul fearlessly tackled a daunting mountain of kitchen gadgets and coffee mugs.

Steve definitely earned some extra muscles by the end of the week, but he did not pack all those boxes by himself. (just keeping the record straight)

The Music Man

Dan's school had their spring concert tonight, where the kids (K-12th grade) performed songs and scenes from a variety of musicals. They did several songs from "Annie," and guess who they asked to be Daddy Warbucks?? Yes, it's because he's bald. He's been practicing with the kids for weeks and has become a pretty big celebrity with the elementary students. The performance tonight was fantastic, and I might be a little biased, but I think Dan stole the show. He definitely got the biggest ovation from the crowd for his number - he's such a good sport and the kids and teachers love him for it. I do too!! :)

The Perfect Saturday

We had a perfect, fun-filled day with friends today - and the best part was that the men planned the whole thing. Go figure! Dan's become good friends with two teachers at his school, Paul and Chris, and we love hanging out with them and their wives, Ann and Adessa. The guys started talking on Friday about seeing Star Trek this weekend, and decided that the six of us should see it together and make a day of it. So we went to the first matinee of Star Trek at 10 a.m. this morning (the movie was awesome, even for someone like me who never watched the TV show) and followed it up with a great hike at Cabrillo National Monument on the San Diego harbor. The weather was perfect for our hike - sunny and a little bit cool. Afterwards we were starving, so we went to Phil's BBQ. Good times with good company. It doesn't get any better than this!

Six Years of Wedded Bliss

We celebrated our 6th anniversary on Sunday, May 3rd! It was a great day. We went to a couple of our favorite restaurants for breakfast and dinner, worshipped God at church, and Dan played roller hockey (he scored a goal and his team won, 5-3). We're hoping to drive up to King's Canyon and Giant Sequoia National Parks during Memorial Day weekend to celebrate some more. (As far as we're concerned, it's not a real party unless it involves a road trip!!)

On one hand, it's impossible to believe that 6 years have already gone by! But we've experienced so much together, that on the other hand it feels like we've been married forever. We've finished 4 master's degrees, led an apartment ministry, traveled at least half of the country while living in a camping tent, made amazing friends in several states, changed careers/jobs, lost loved ones, welcomed new members to our extended family, moved from the mountains of CO to the beaches in CA, vacationed overseas, rented 6 different apartments, and the list goes on. Life definitely hasn't been boring! :)

Some people say we haven't changed a bit since our wedding day, but we know we have. God has blessed us in amazing ways and given us challenges that we know we couldn't have handled except by His grace. He's constantly teaching us new and deeper truths about Himself and as our trust in Him grows, our relationship with each other gets better and better. It's amazing the difference it makes when we run to God with our problems, worries, and gratitude instead of trying to handle everything on our own. And if one of us forgets, the other is quick with a reminder!

We're so thankful for each other and the fun and loving relationship we have. Here's to many more years and adventures together!