The Jellyfish Evangelists

Among the many highlights of our recent visit to California was a trip to the beach with our great friends, the Bernards. Shelling was high on the list of our girls' hoped for activities on this particular outing. The shells were few & far between, and certainly nothing to write home about, but that didn't stop this hearty band of beachcombers from searching for undiscovered treasures. Their prize was the large remains of a deep purple-colored jellyfish. This discovery was so thrilling that they embarked on a mission to ensure that everyone within a 7,500 mile radius (well, OK, that's an exaggeration) received a personal viewing. May they ever be this bold and vocal in sharing good news!

Meet Bosco

A few years ago, when we were forced to leave Central Asia, we had to leave behind Boots, our rambunctious, but very much loved pooch. As a family we've talked on & off about getting a dog since that time, and finally felt led to consider it more seriously. About a month ago, we came across a dog named Bosco on the website of a local animal rescue group called Desert Paws Rescue. He looked every bit as cute as puppies should, and was a border collie/lab mix -- highly intelligent, easy to train, and great with kids. He seemed like the perfect dog for us! We were in VA at the time, but thought that if he was still around when we returned to AZ, we'd go take a look. We put it in God's hands. Alas, Bosco was adopted before we returned home. However, on a whim, we happened to return to Desert Paws Rescue's website again last week and discovered that Bosco was back! His previous owners decided not to keep him so put him back up for adoption.

Sounds like it was a slam dunk for us, but... one big obstacle remained -- my allergies. I'm terribly allergic to most dogs, so Bosco had to pass the enormously challenging "I-won't-send-Brad-into-fits-of-sneezing-and-asthma" test. So before we allowed the girls to go see Bosco on adoption day, I snuck over to spend a bit of time with him to see if I'd have a reaction. After 30 symptom-free minutes, I called Janelle to give her the green light on bringing the kids over. The rest is history. Bosco came home with us a few days ago and is settling in as the latest member of the family. All the credit goes to God for working this out in ways that we never could have orchestrated.

Back to School

It seems that summer just began a few weeks ago, and THAT means it is time to head back to school here in Arizona! Elise & Chloe (far left & far right) were excited to return to Edu-Prize with teachers that they both enjoyed last year. Awesome having that continuity! The one big change for this school year is that Grace (center) is now officially a Kindergartener. So we've got 3 kids in school now, and just 1 to go. Wonderful milestones for us, and for these precious girls that God has entrusted to us.

Seen on the Road: I-10 at Quartzsite, CA

Exiting in Quartzsite, AZ for some gas while heading on the I-10 from L.A. to Phoenix, I caught a glimpse of this plane sitting on top of a vintage car carrier. Just had to stop to snap a quick shot of it.

Fun in the Sun

What better way to pass the time on a hot, muggy Virginia afternoon than to cool off in the Lynnhaven Bay? Chloe (in the air), Elise (on the platform) and Grace had a blast jumping from Grandpa's boat!

Bliss

Bliss: a state of extreme happiness (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). There were many blissful moments during our time in Virginia, including just about every outing on the awesome rope swing behind my parents' house. Here Chloe is enjoying one of her blissful moments.

"Can we get a dog... please!"

The only (and therefore, the most exciting) pets in our house are our 2 goldfish, which we have only because we got "stuck" with them at a Christmas white elephant gift exchange. It wasn't surprising, then, that we constantly found ourselves having to pry our girls away from the dogs they got to spend time with during our whirlwind tour of Virginia. The most favorite, of course, were Cavu (pictured above with Grace) & Cassie. I'm sure it will be some time before we stop hearing the question, "Can we get a dog... please?!!"

The Blessing of Family

One of our greatest joys on our recent trip to Virginia was time with my parents. There were plenty of bigger activities, like trips to the beach, boat rides, fishing, a dolphin watch, etc., but nothing was as wonderful as simply spending time with family - Janelle & I with my parents and brother and the girls with their grandma & grandpa and uncle. Dinner on the deck, catching fireflies, taking the dogs for walks... sometimes it is the simple things that mean the most....

Happy 3rd birthday, Brooke!

Our joyful little toddler with the infectious smile grew up a little bit as we celebrated her 3rd birthday the other day. What a gift she's been! Having just returned late the night before from VA, all we could muster up for her in the morning was a groggy offer of, "What would you like for your birthday breakfast?" Her reply was an emphatic, "Donuts!" She loved having those, but apparently turning 3 did little to rid her of the habit of eating the frosting and ignoring the donut (the donut is merely a delivery mechanism for the really good stuff). But with a smile like hers, who cares?! Happy birthday, Brooke. We love you!