Tomorrow's the BIG day!

Well, tomorrow is the big day that Josh has waited his whole life for, quite literally . . . Tomorrow the rifle Elk season opens here in the Northern Black Hills! Remember my post about Josh having a 2.75% chance of drawing an elk tag? He did. And tomorrow it starts. He just got back from placing yet another trail camera deep in the woods,



is now busy loading his truck with anything and everything he thinks he might need


and is so incredibly excited that I think sleep is out of the question for this boy!


Tomorrow he will wake bright (I mean, dark) and early and head up into the hills with his dad. He has the rest of this week off and all of next week to hopefully fill his tag with that one and only TROPHY bull elk. So, tomorrow is the start of me being, what do they call those women?!?!? Oh yea, a "hunting widow."

So, good luck sweetie! I know how important this hunt is to you! Although it will be challenging and may be discouraging at times, I have been saying prayers that you are able to remember why you do this, for the hunt and to be surrounded by God's beautiful creation. Embrace this (possibly) once in a lifetime opportunity.

God is Love

Cayel started Awana last week . . . and needless to say, he LOVES it! He is so excited and so eager to learn about Jesus! He is a Cubbie this year and attends Awana every Wednesday night from 6:00 - 7:30 at a local church here in Spearfish. He has enjoyed meeting so many new friends, learning more about Jesus and of course, playing in the gym. What is "school" without playing?!?! One of the requirements for us as parents is to be active! During the week we go through a lesson with Cayel, read specific stories from the Bible and encourage him to learn Bible verses. I can tell already how beneficial this is going to be on so many levels, even for me. It provides time during the week with Cayel to study the Word, pray and talk about Jesus. Memorizing Bible verses has always been a weakness for me so I am excited to learn them right along with him!

Here is Cayel sharing his very first Bible verse with you . . .
1 John 4:8



His first day of "school" (aka Awana) pictures . . .

Match Maker Match Maker

Make Me a Match . . . Find Me a Find . . . Catch Me a Catch . . .

Last weekend our dear friends Nic and Tara and their sweet little boy Weston came out to visit us. Our dear friends are well, dear, for many reasons. But they are most dear for one specific reason . . .The Horak's, more specifically, Josh and Marcy Horak would not be if it weren't for Nic and Tara being Match Maker, Finding Josh and Find and Catching Marcy a Catch! So, not only do we love them because they are dear, we love them because we wouldn't be us if it weren't for, ahem, them!

Besides our wedding last year, this was the first time that they have been out to our house to visit. Well, except for the time 6 or 7 years ago when Nic drug Tara out for a "vacation" to visit Josh, the bachelor. The boys hunted and Tara got stuck sitting at Josh's bachelor pad all by herself. Except for when my dear mother-in-law rescued her for an afternoon of shopping. So, aside from that trip, this was their first trip out to visit the Horak's. And boy did we have fun! The guys did what they did 7 years ago, hunted. But the girls, took advantage of the girl time and did girl things. We lounged around the house in sweat pants and sweat shirts, we watched movies and played with the little ones, we broke up "mine" fights between the toddlers :), we took the boys to the park, we fed the duckies and fishies, we cooked yummy meals, we ate raw cookie dough (lots of it), we ate baked fudge with homemade whip cream, we took naps, we toured the shops downtown and we stayed up until wee hours of the morning talking and laughing and making new memories.

Weston and Cayel also had fun doing toddler things. Besides a few "mine" fights over toys, they got along very well. They played with Cayel's GeoTrax train set, they played ball outside, watched movies,


spent lots of time at the park, fed the duckies and fishies and read lots of books!



It was a great weekend and we are so thankful that God has blessed us with such wonderful friends!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Wow, 50 years! What a special milestone for so many reasons . . . You have gone through so much . . . more than many people who live to be 100 do. Some of those things challenging. Some of those things heartbreaking. Some of those things breathtaking. Some of those things wonderful. Some of those things beautiful. But all of those things, helped shape you into the wonderful man, father, grandfather, husband and child of God you are! I love you and I hope you know how proud I am to call you Dad! You've . . . Built a business with many long and stressful years, hours, sweat and tears. Provided for your family. Supported your children. Helped raise your grandchildren. Loved your wife. Overcome addiction. Found sobriety. Sponsored recovering addicts. Mentored confirmation students. Ministered to prison inmates. Led Boy Scouts. Spread God's Word and His Love to the villages of South Africa. And found a deep and intimate relationship with your ultimate Healer and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Your story is beautiful dad and the Author knew it all along. I praise Him for your past 50 years and I pray that you are blessed with 50 more, more beautiful, more peaceful and more blessed than the previous! Thank you for being my dad . . . Happy Birthday!

more Happy Anniversaries in order . . .

Earlier in the month we had the pleasure of going back to Minnesota to celebrate my parent's 30th Wedding Anniversary and my grandparent's 50th Wedding Anniversary all in one weekend!

We surprised my parents by taking a vacation day and showing up at their house in the wee hours of the night (actually the morning) a day earlier than planned. Despite my mom pouting a little because she had to work, they were excited about the surprise and even more excited about having an extra day with us. Being the planner that she is (yes, that's where I got my planning addiction from), she hadn't planned on us being home until that evening, therefore she didn't plan on taking a vacation day. Little did she know, that was my plan, for her to have to work that is. My sisters and I had secretly made an appointment to get the kids' picture taken together for my parent's anniversary gift. Good intentions I must say, we even had them in matching outfits, but, it didn't go as I had planned. After an hour and a half, the photographer snapped a quick photo of each of the kids individually and we ended up putting together a little collage. It wasn't exactly a picture "together" like I had wanted, but it had to do. My patience was running thin, Chelsea looked like she wanted to cry and Sarah being the passive one, just sat quietly trying to contain the children. Bless our hearts for trying . . . the collage turned out very cute, each babe had a cute facial expression that added character and personality to the picture and more importantly, it was a "memory" we'll forever remember!

Later that evening we had a date night with my parents. We found babysitters for the kids and took them to their favorite restaurant, the Kaiseroff in New Ulm. It was so nice to enjoy a quiet evening to visit and enjoy each other's company. Not to mention, the food was fantastic! You've gotta try their Ray's Salad - AMAZING!!

After dinner we went home and enjoyed the warmth of a campfire in the backyard. We played "campfire" games, laughed, talked about favorite memories and ate s'more after s'more. The kids laid on a big blanket on the ground with Nana and soaked up all of her attention and love! Exactly what she does best, being a Nana!



Saturday was the big day for my grandparent's celebration! 50 years ago exactly that day (September 12th), they had vowed their love and their lives to each other. And now 50 years later, they were surrounded by their 4 children (ranging in age from 29 to 49), their 9 grandchildren & 1 grandchild in-law (ranging in age from 8 to 30), their 4 great grandchildren (all under the age of 3) and many many friends and extended family members. They were showered with so much love and so many happy memories!


It was so nice to have a weekend filled with family. Our trips back to Minnesota are few and far between and the short weekends that we do get to be there, tend to go so quickly. This trip allowed for quality time with my parents, sisters, niece and nephew, both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and even a few of my closest friends. It was such a blessed weekend!

Although a couple of weeks late, Happy 30th Anniversary mom and dad


and Happy 50th Anniversary grandpa and grandma B!


Thank you both so much for your commitment to one another and for setting an example of a long lasting marriage filled with love!