Fishing Time

Birch Creek is a place that the family loves to fish. Dan's father decided to take a few of us out there today! It is always good to be around family, and it is always good to go fishing!

Craters of the Moon

Dan has not been to work in like a month. And while we have been a bit stressed about it, we have taken the time to enjoy ourselves. We decided that we might as well make the most of this situation. After all, there will come a day when our lives will be SO busy that we will wish that we didn't have work. So, we are living it up! 

Today we decided to go to a place called Craters of the Moon. Craters of the Moon is a vast ocean of lava flows with scattered islands of cinder cones and sagebrush. There you to explore this "weird and scenic landscape" where yesterday's volcanic events are likely to continue tomorrow...It is like two hours or so from Rexburg, but so fun!

We took Tess, Dan's youngest sister, with us. 

It started off by running up this HUGE thing called Inferno Cone. At first, the run up there did not seem too bad, but we soon realized that it was much bigger than we had realized. It was super windy at the top, but the view was incredible. 

After Inferno, we visited the Splatter Cones. The hike up there was nothing compared to our first. It was there that Dan informed that I HAD to stay on the trail. Apparently, wandering off of the trail would damage the old rocks and stuff. What fun is that? But I listened because Dan loves nature, and I love Dan. Well, accept for that picture where I am standing behind the fence. Obviously, I should not be there, but hey...I cannot be perfect ALL the time. 

We just wandered around after that. We found many trails and caves. Yes, caves. The first cave that we found, we were so excited because we had hiked for MILES to find it (maybe we got lost along the way...)! When we finally arrived, we realized that the caves were very dark and we did not have a flashlight. Pulling out our phones for some source of light, we wandered through the first part of the cave. Quickly, we realized that we had to crawl through a little tunnel in order to move forward. We were ready to crawl...but it was then that we realized a backpack was left sitting at the entrance of the tunnel. We were not there alone.

After watching too many scary movies, my mind tends to resort to the worse case scenario. So, naturally I was convinced that there was a serial killer in the cave and he was going to kill us if we went down that tunnel. I ran out of the cave screaming, and Tess followed. All the while, Dan stayed in the cave and laughed. He thought it was a ridiculous thing to think, but I refused to go back in the cave. We made it out alive! 

Other caves that we went to, other fears popped into my mind. At one point, I thought that we were going to enter a cave full of wolves. I didn't want to be an animals lunch! But Dan is more tough than I am, and he made me explore with him. When we would go in caves, I would hold on to his arm REAL tight and he would drag me along. It was actually quite fun! 

At one point, we entered a cave where there was a huge bolder than had fallen from the ceiling. Naturally, I wanted to stand under in and take a picture. Naturally, Dan did not like the idea (his fear was that it was going to fall on me....) Being the stubborn woman that I am, I did it anyway. Let's just say Dan was not too happy, but here is the picture! 

It was quite an enjoyable day! I'm pretty grateful to have such a fun, adventurous husband. We have a blast together. I just would not trade these moments for anything in the whole wide world. 

Layover in Denver

Yesterday the day that Dan and I packed up and headed out to Missouri. Ten days with family! Our plane tickets were bought a while back, and we have been counting down the months, weeks, days, and hours. We have not seen the family since December, and that is far too long. Back in Missouri, so much has changed that I have missed. Mom and dad have moved into a new house, I have gained a new foster sister, my brother has a serious girlfriend, they got a dog. All this has happened and I have been away at school. With that, you can just imagine our excitement to load up and head out! 

Dan and I flew out of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was our first time to fly together, so we were thrilled. I mean, what is better than having a travel buddy! The flight went well and we made it there with much time to spare. And then came the interesting part. From Salt Lake, we arrived in Denver. By the time we landed in Denver, it was a about 10:30pm. Surprisingly, the airport was not too busy. So, we were able to quickly make it to our next place. We needed to take the flight from Denver to Kansas City. 

It was there that we had a layover....for TEN HOURS! At first, we thought that it was going to be a fun experience. It was pretty late at night and we pretty much were the only ones in the airport. Yay! So, we found a good spot to sit and we talked for a little while. We then read a little from the books we brought (The HALO series...that is another story). Then we watched a movie on my laptop. Talked some more. And, at that point, it was after midnight and we were exhausted. 

We decided that it was time to rest up! We looked around for a decent place to rest, but could not find any. All that the Denver airport offers are hard chairs will metal armrest. It was kind of awful. We tried sleeping on the floor, thinking that it would be more comfortable there. It was probably just as comfortable as the chairs, but I was nervous to lay down there! A couple of minutes before we decided to rest, Dan found a HUGE bug on the floor and we did not kill it. My luck, it was going to come and haunt me in my sleep. I was not willing to take that chance. 

So, Dan and I tried and tried to sleep but we just could not get comfortable. On top of that, we found that the airport does its' cleaning late at night. Oh, joy! With that, there were workers driving around in there machines that would beep! It was ridiculous. With all of this being said, let me tell you, Dan and I are presently running on like ZERO sleep. Right now it is about 7:30 am. Our flight for Missouri does not even board for another hour. I do not even know how I am awake right now. I do not know how I am functioning. I feel a little delusional. I feel like I am going to fall on my face. Fun times. 

But we are excited to be in Missouri! We are excited to see family! They make this sleep deprivation all worth it! :)

Protect the Family

There once was a time when man and woman came together to be married for unselfish reasons. Here, two would come together to become husband and wife, mother and father. It was then that it was deemed important to have children; families were a central part of society. Unfortunately, time has proved this to be “old-fashioned”. Now, to be married is something done for selfish reasons. Man and woman do not join together as one, but rather seek individual fulfillment at the expense of the other. To make matters worse, children have become nothing but “shadowy characters in the background”. Children and families are not what society wants now. In fact, a new trend exists concerning children: none is enough. I think that there is much to be concerned about. Society’s priorities are out of line.

I fear that this is the mentality of the world that I live in. It is a scary thing to think about. I was married to Dan when I was only 19. Many would argue that I was too young. "You have your whole life ahead of your!" That is what some would say. Others worried about my "freedom" and "independence". They made it seem as if marriage was some sort of imprisonment. Well, I can tell you with confidence that they could not have been more wrong. 

Being married to Dan is the greatest blessing that has yet to happen to me. I feel that our marriage makes me a better person. Without a doubt, he makes me a better person. Throughout our marriage, I have learned crucial values that our world has forgotten. I've learned that everything is not about me. In this companionship with Dan, I have come to find that marriage must be a selfless thing. And I love it. It brings me greta joy to love, care and serve my husband. I have also learned to love unconditionally. Although there are times that we disagree, at the end of the day, I love Dan more than words can express. He has opened my eyes and showed me the important things for life (and believe me...money, status, work, or nice things are not truly important). I understand now that family is the most important unit in the world. Family-that is what truly matters. 

With that, Dan and I gladly look forward to the day that we can have children. We spent way too much time laying down just talking about our future: five kids, a little house, and a ton of land. We think of baby names, and think about what they will look like. We want this. We want a family of our own. And while we understand that this will be no easy task, we accept this role. In fact, we happily accept it! This is how it is suppose to be. Dan will be a father, and I a mother. It is all about family. Family is what truly matters. 

Foster Care

My parents' hearts are HUGE. Within this past year and a half, my parents have gladly accept the role as foster parents. It all began when there was a family in need. With a child needing a home and an empty bedroom in the house, my parents took a baby girl. This was not something that they had planned to do with their life; they just knew they needed to help. This baby's name was Mel, and she sure was precious. Soon, Mel became part of the family and everyone fell in love with her!

A few months later, another surprise came. After receiving a phone call from a state worker, my parents were asked to take another child. This time, it was a 5 year old in need. Her name was Lilly, and she was Mel's older sister. Happy to keep sister together, my parents opened up their hearts and homes to another child. Although this REALLY was not in their life plan, they never complained. Just like Mel, Lilly was swooped up, loved, and welcomed to the family. 

With two children in the home, my parents really seemed to keep busy. On top of raising two foster children, they had three of us kids! And, on top of that, they both had full-time jobs that they had to maintain. Life was challenging for them, or so I believe. But, believe it or not, a few months later my parents received another phone call. This time, a state worker was asking my parents to welcome a teenager into the home. Without hesitation, my parents said yes! We now have Kaela in our family! 

As time has progressed, these three girls have made a special place in my heart. I consider each of them my sisters, and would do anything for them. I love them dearly, and I cannot begin to imagine how much my parents love them. As I said, my parents' hearts are HUGE! Just when I think that they cannot possibly love another kid so much, they go and prove me wrong. They are just so willing to help, love, and care for anyone and everyone. 

Today, my mom told me that they have welcomed another child into their home. I have not met her yet, but I know that her name is Hailey. She is a teenager like Kaela. I have a feeling that they will become good friends. I also have a really good feeling that my parents' hearts are about to grow even bigger! 

Love From Mel