Brooke and Jared

Road Trip Buddies!
Nate and I had the awesome opportunity to go on a road trip 2 weeks ago to the Grand Canyon with our best buds Brooke and Jared! What started forming as an idea about 6 months ago finally became reality as we packed the car (which miraculously, all of our stuff for 4 people fit in 1 car!) and headed out Tuesday morning.

Brooke and I could hardly believe the trip was here, as we had been texting each other the days leading up to the trip and the excitement had been building.
The 6 day trip route included stops in Moab, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, and Durango. It was such a beautiful time of year to go, as the leaves were changing in the mountains, and fall weather was in the air.

One of our highlights of the trip was a hike on Wednesday morning to Morning Glory Bridge in Moab.  The hike was at the base of a small canyon, with a small stream wending it's way along the trail. It was about an hour hike in to get to the natural rock bride. There was a actually a group of people learning how to repel off the bridge when we got there!

After Moab, we drove to Lake Powell and spent 2 nights there. In addition to admiring the beauty of the lake and the ingenuity of the Glen Canyon Dam, we managed to find some adventure of our own. :) We discovered a chain of delicious Mexican Restaurants (Fiesta Mexicana), spent the evenings playing fun card games (Nertz and Hand & Foot), and managed to get our car stuck while "off-roading it" on one of the sandy beaches of Lake Powell. Luckily we were able to push the car out just enough to get it going again and Jared floored it out of there with the three of us running, whooping, and hollering next to him as we were free again! Good driving Jared! Unfortunately we did not get any footage of this stunt. Looking back, it definitely would've been YouTube worthy. :)

After packing up and leaving Lake Powell, we headed out for the Grand Canyon! We arrived on Friday close to noon. They had gotten some snow the night before, but it had mostly melted by the time we got there. There were still some low, lingering clouds that seemed to be meandering their way through the canyon itself. They made for some cool pictures.(If you look closely, you can see the hint of a rainbow in this picture.)

Nate and Jared enjoyed making me very nervous by climbing out to precarious vantage points at the various lookouts of the canyon's rim.

Standing there at the canyon's edge, looking out at the vastness of it all, makes you feel so many things at once; small next to the greatness of the canyon, awed at its beauty, and an amazing sense of reverence for God and His creation.

What a beautiful destination!!

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we drove to Flagstaff where we stayed the night and then started making our way back to Denver the next morning. After going through the Four Corners, we spent the last night of our trip in Durango, where we found a neat little Italian restaurant called "Mama's Boy"  and then enjoyed talking and hanging out at the hot tub back at the hotel. On the way out of Durango the next morning, we were greeted with another beautiful fall landscape as we made our way to Wolf Creek Pass.

As we started to make our way up the pass, we stopped for one last photo opportunity.

We made it back to Denver around 6:00 Sunday night. I think my favorite part of the trip was just getting away for a few days to relax with best friends and being inspired again by God's beauty. It reminded me to get out of the city every once in a while and immerse myself in nature. To take time to reflect on where I'm at in life and where I strive to be. To think about the really important things and have deep conversations. Tony Robins says "relationships magnify the human experience" and he is so right. I thank God every day for the blessing of Nate and how we get to experience life together. And I think God for the gift of Brooke. How she inspires me to better myself and for our thought provoking, fun, and interesting conversations. And I thank God for Jared who supports Brooke and shares life with her. There's nothing better than going through life with the ones you love!! Thanks Brooke and Jared for such a fun trip! Let's start planning our next one!! :)
Love,
Andrea

Marilyn and Michael

“Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.”  
~Vietnamese Proverb

I’m not even sure where to begin on this one. I’ve been wanting to write something about Marilyn and Michael for a long time, but still struggle with knowing where to begin.

Marilyn and Michael are my amazing sister and brother. I’m sure most of you who know me know them as well. I have been blessed beyond measure when it comes to these two.

Marilyn is the spark in our family. She’s the life, laughter, and free spirit that lifts us up. Pretty much every funny story I can remember from my childhood growing up involves Marilyn. And there’s lots of stories and memories, that’s for sure! Marilyn and I shared a room until I went off to college. There were lots of late night talks, and of course plenty of occasions where we got so annoyed with each other, we divided the room in half with tape, threatening any number of consequences if the line was crossed. But we survived, and now share a friendship that runs deep down into the core of who we are. No matter how much time passes, I know Marilyn is there for me, and I for her. We pick up right where we left off every time.

Michael is the anchor of our family. He is the steady constant, always there to lend a listening ear and a word of encouragement. Always willing to go deep in conversation and think outside the box. Michael always makes time for you; always has time to spend with you. We have enjoyed awesome conversations together, and continue to muddle through life’s perplexing questions. We especially love talking about God and all the mysteries we don’t understand just yet. He is an observer of people and a deep thinker. I feel my mind gets stretched a little more each time I’m with him.

Marilyn, I have learned so much from you and admire you in so many ways. Your spirit of adventure and courage to follow your heart’s desires to see the world remind me to never grow complacent with my life. You are one of the hardest workers I know, yet you also know how to keep things in perspective. You are intelligent and sharp while being humble and tender-hearted. You are successful and driven, yet take one day at a time. And you remember the ones you love. Thank you for who you are and who you help me to be. I need you in my life, and I’m truly blessed to have you. I love you so much.

Michael, I am so proud of the person you are and continue to become. You are such a people person – never forget that you have a unique ability to build relationships. Somehow, you have a special gift for opening people’s hearts to you. You make people feel safe, loved, and accepted, and they can see you genuinely care for them. You have so much ahead of you, and I know you will succeed at whatever avenue you follow in life. I love you so much.

“To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other's hearts... We live outside the touch of time. “ ~Clara Ortega

Never forget how much I love you both... nothing can ever change my love for you.

Andrea 

Audrey

The first person I told about my blog idea, after Nate, was one of my best friends Audrey. She and I go way back to what we call "Noodles and Company days" when we used to work there together during high school. I can remember hanging out with her almost every night after work, either throwing a frisbee around in the parking lot, walking over to Walmart, or just driving around and talking. We would always lose track of time, and then she would have to speed home all the way to Franktown. I'm glad she made it safely every night!

Over the years, we always stayed in touch even though life took us to different places. I don't think I've talked to anyone on the phone as much as I've talked to Audrey! No matter how far away (or not so far away) we may seem geographically or just in our busy lives, I know Audrey is never more than a text message or a quick phone call away. (Thank goodness for phones!)

But what I want to highlight about Audrey is more than just what an awesome friend she is to me. She is more than that. She is understanding, non-judgmental, funny, and a good listener. And even more importantly, she is a mom to one of the most beautiful and awesome little boys I know. Watching her interact with her son has been amazing... sitting with him to eat dinner at his kid-sized table, taking him to all the museums and local attractions to expose him to new things, and making up fun crafts and activities to do at home together, all while working full time and going to school. And that is just scratching the tip of the iceberg. He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is loved, and I can't think of anything more important you can do as a parent than make sure your child knows they are loved. Some day if I have kids, if I could be half the mom that Audrey is, I know I would be a great mom.

Audrey - thank you for all you have taught me about life and for being there for me when I need you. Thanks for the times we've shared laughing, crying, talking, pondering life and God, and just doing life together. True friends are like rare treasure that one looks for constantly, but only finds a few times in their lifetime. Well, you are a treasure to me and I am blessed to have you in my life. I love you!! :) Andrea

Jill and Scott

What a fun St Patrick's Day dinner we all enjoyed at the Leadership Meeting last week! Jill and Scott graciously hosted and provided a fabulous corned beef and cabbage dinner! It was the 2nd annual St Patty's Day celebration, and I think we have a really fun tradition started now! Jill and Scott really are one of a kind. They have very warm, welcoming personalities that just put you at ease when you are around them. We are blessed to know them. 

Thank you Jill and Scott for such a wonderful time the other night. We love you guys and really look up to you and your awesome family!

Love,

Andrea 

Heather and Brian

Just a couple nights ago, Nate and I got to spend the evening with our friends Heather and Brian, and their kids. They fixed us a fabulous dinner - roasted pork loin, seasoned potato wedges, broccoli with a hint of lemon and garlic, french bread, and for dessert, a fruit pavlova! (Can you tell I love food?) If you were like me and have never had a pavlova, let me tell you that you are missing out. I've even included a picture so you can get your taste buds going. It is delicious!

And as awesome as the dinner was that they prepared for us, even more wonderful was the fellowship we all had together at dinner. Just talking and sharing a meal together. Everyone was involved, even their littlest one in his high chair, playing and just happy to be present at the meal. After dinner, we played "Funglish," a very fun game that Brian turned out to be the champion at. All through out the evening, it was such a blessing to be spending time with this awesome family. There was even a point when I looked across the table at Brian holding the littlest one, and Heather serving the dessert, that it made me long for a family of my own someday. I realized how much I want to raise kids with Nate and have a family together. It was like a glimpse into a future I hope to have someday. 

Heather and Brian, thank you SO much for making us feel so special and for such a fun evening we got to spend with you all. You are wonderful hosts and terrific friends. It's our turn to have you guys over next!

Love,

Andrea

Julie A.

If you are ever looking for a go-getter, look no further than my friend Julie! I have the privilege of working with Julie through our high school youth group at church for the past 2 years. Julie is one of the amazing leaders we work with on a weekly basis. Her specialty - coming up with awesome ideas for community service and special events for the students! We just got done taking 16 students up to Copper Mountain for a ski day on Monday. What a fun time! And of course, everything ran so smoothly thanks to all of Julie's planning and preparation. She also coordinated a group of girls to go to the Revolve Tour last month. Several of the girls shared how much it touched them to go to the Tour.

Not only is Julie amazing at coordinating events, you can tell she loves the students and has such a heart to serve them. And they love her in return! They gravitate towards her high-energy, fun, and upbeat personality. 

Julie, you are truly one of a kind. You make youth group more exciting for the students. Your gifts are many and it is awesome to see you using them for the Lord. I look up to you in so many ways. 

Let's make sure the four of us hit the slopes again soon! 

Love,

Andrea

Christin

Nate and I have been truly blessed to get to know Christin and Josh more over the past few months. Granted, we did know them in college, and Nate practically grew up with Jesiah and his brothers. We used to go to movies - the 5 of us - and then sometimes have Taco Bell after. Good times! But being in a small group together has really given us the opportunity to get to know them even better. And can I tell you, I really look up to Christin a lot.
Christin, I just want you to know how great a mom you are to Landon. He always looks so cute when you bring him over, and you are such a natural at taking care of him. Your love for him and Josh is so clear. And then hearing how your heart is breaking when you're away from him while at work broke my heart too. I can't imagine how hard it must be to go through that every day. But I want you to know that I've thought a lot about what you said - how you are trying to make the best of the situation by making your work about glorifying God. I have thought about that several times this week, and it has inspired me to do my work for God more consciously than I did before. Thank you for your openness and authenticity. When I think about Nate and I having a baby some day, I want us to be parents like you guys.  :)

Love,

Andrea