Earth Day and Easter (beware, picture post)

So this past week has been full and fun :) Last Friday was Earth Day and while we weren't out to celebrate it we did get to spend some fun, quality time with Jeremy and Kimi. They have officially accepted a position with Care Ministries and apartment ministry in Co. Springs, CO and will be moving in mid-July so we are taking the chance to spend as much time as we can with them before they move! Jeremy is a middle school history teacher and is taking his kids on a scavenger hunt at the Natural History of New Mexico Museum in the middle of May so Kimi, Jeremy, Jack and I headed to the museum last Friday to create the fun scavenger hunt. Upon arriving at the museum we found out it was closed due to Good Friday so we decided to meander around downtown Santa Fe for a little while and take in the sights. Jack had never walked around downtown before so it was fun to get to show him around a bit.

Kimi and I LOVE these teal doors. It's definitely one of my favorite colors and parts about Santa Fe :)

Chillin' in the upstairs outdoor bar...and on a ball....

He was juggling, too. Notice how everyone is interested in the dogs though.

just thought this was fun :)

Cathedral, can't remember the name of it. See it decorated for Christmas here.

Band shot :)

See, there really are flowers here in spring time!! :)

Cool wind thingies.

Loretto Chapel, one day we'll go inside it!

Love these people!!

We went shopping, and it was fun and colorful.

Will buy a basket one day...

Hopefully we can get a steal of a price like Kimi did!

Loving all the colors.

Treasures abound if you're willing to dig.

Thought that would be fun to have...bit out of the price range though.

Gotta love an R2D2 postal drop box :)

Just some coolness in Santa Fe.

After hanging out downtown for a while we headed back to the condo and had some yummy Salmon, Steak, Salad, and Corn on the Cob. We also had a rousing game of Sequence (which Kimi and I won over the boys 3 to 1 I believe) then tried our hand at Rummikub.

Saturday Jack and I hung out until I went in for a night shift I had picked up due to a co-worker with some family stuff going on that couldn't make it in to work. I got off around 8am on Sunday grabbed a quick shower and then it was off to Easter Sunday at church! We enjoyed a yummy continental breakfast in the lobby while chit-chatting with friends and then we headed into the service. The message was called: No Fear in Death. It was a good reminder that if we know Christ then that takes away our fear of death because we know where we are going for eternity. It gave a great reminder to have an eternal perspective, as those in Christ we do not experience death as judgment but as great gain. Death is not final but a prelude to resurrection and our eternal inheritance. What a great reminder and encouraging thing to stay our minds on. I was thankful to be alert and attentive through most of the service. Only once did my eyes close and my pen drifted upwards in my notes :). We ended up sitting in the very back of the church because there were so many people there so at times it was a bit distracting having so many people in front of us but we were thankful to be there. On the drive home I fell asleep without even realizing it and Jack woke me up in the garage. I went upstairs and crashed on the couch for four hours. I had asked Jack to only let me sleep 2 hours because I had to sleep Sunday night in order to work Monday morning but come to find out, he fell asleep, too! We woke up, roused our bodies with a good workout and then rested the rest of the evening.



Monday Jack and I both worked all day and then headed to small group. It was our night to share our testimony with the group. God was so gracious to give us the words to share with them, to give them a glimpse into what our last year has looked like and there were tears all around. But Jack and I were thankful to be able to get things out in the open and be real with the group. They were all thankful and encouraging to us and as Jack and I talked later, we both feel like we are no longer living under the big black shadow that hung over our marriage for so long. Restoration has come and is still coming and we are processing and moving forward in our lives. I'm so thankful for where the Lord has brought us, where he is leading us and from all he has brought us from! This time last year was probably part of the darkest times in my life and Jack's as well yet God, in his mercy, has given us new hope, new life and new love! Praise HIM!!

Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with me resting (life of a nurse I tell ya!) and running with friends, meeting up for accountability and discipleship and spending time reading. It's been good. Tonight we get to hang out with J&K again, and again on Friday (!!) and then Saturday we are going to watch the local high school put on the musical, Annie, because our friends' daughter is the lead, Annie! :) Very exciting. I can't wait to hear her sing, supposedly she's got a great voice! Will keep you posted about that.