WOW has it really been 2 months....

I can't believe that I have not posted to my blog in 2 months! I feel like I have been so behind in life. Lately I have been trying to figure out how to balance life with its obligations and take care of myself in the meantime. Taking care of myself....what does that look like? I feel the Lord is pressing this issue in a couple of ways and I am beginning to slowly take note of it. But this in itself presents a unique challenge. I don't have time to figure out how to take care of myself. I know that may sound like a silly statement but I am struggling here. So I keep praying and asking God to help me. I find myself in one of those stages of my life, thankful for what the Lord has done and is doing, and knowing that I am on the verge of learning where he wants to take me next. And I am ready. And I wait.

Enough of my reflections. In February we took a trip back to St. Louis. We wanted to say thank you to the churches and people who have supported us in our journey to Boulder. We arrived on a Wednesday and stayed with our dear friends Joe and Carol Farell. They were great hosts and they have an amazing house to boot (especially their downstairs entertainment room resulting in Wii games and Guitar Hero)!

Joe and Carol's house in Webster Groves.

They have an amazing back patio with this outdoor fireplace. It was so much fun to sit outside on a cool night and catch up.

After a great dinner and dessert, we went downstairs to play Wii and Guitar Hero. Here is Kirk and Carol in action!

We celebrated Valentine's day at our favorite Italian restaurant Zia's. Kirk's Mom and Dad and his brother Ed and his wife Marsha met us there for dinner. They stayed the night and joined us at church on Sunday morning. Kirk preached both services at Greentree Community Church in Kirkwood and I have to say myself he "brought it". (If you would like to listen to his sermon you can visit their website, at www.greentreechurch.com. Click on Worship and February 2009. His sermon is the one dated February 15.)

Here is a cool picture of Zia's from their website since I didn't get any pictures.

It was fun to reconnect with friends from our community group and to catch up on their lives and to see their little ones, some for the first time in person. We will always have a special place in our heart for St. Louis and the community that God provided us while we were there. (Note, I wasn't on the top of my game taking pictures so I have posted pictures of some of our friends we met with from their various blogs.)

The Mohr Family...Katie, Eliot and Russ. We got to visit with this family right after we landed in St. Louis. If you have been reading my blog over the years you will remember this family and the journey of their adoption of Eliot from Guatemala. Love this picture!

The Wagner Family...Virginia (Chris's Mom), Michelle, Jacob, Chris, Alex and Rod (Chris's Father). We met up with Chris, Michelle and the boys on Saturday at a Coffee Shop (we saw Rod and Virginia on Sunday at church). Alex was born before we left St. Louis, but we had not met Jacob yet.

The Sturgeon Family...Cole, Tyson, Laura and Pierce. We had lunch with them on Saturday and had such a great time catching up with them. Cole was born before we left St. Louis, but it was the first time we met Pierce. Love those curls!

The Patneau Family...Brian, Emma and Jen. We were able to visit with this couple on Saturday afternoon. I had seen Emma through the window at the hospital when she was born. We just happened to be in St. Louis and at the seminary which was next door to the hospital. It was fun to meet her in person and this sweet family is expecting their second daughter.

The Amundson Family...Lisa, Charlotte (Charlie) and Jake. We got to see this family Sunday morning at church. We had never met Charlie and were excited to see her. Lisa's cousin, Josh, lives here in Boulder. He has become a good friend of ours. It is a small world!

There are so many more people I could post pictures of who have been very special in our lives. Like Donna, my dear friend from work (Donna if I had a picture of you it would be on here!). God is so good to bless us with good friends who are really like family.

Before we left for the airport on Monday we went out to visit Sara's grave. It had been over two years since we had been there. It was a beautiful day. Being there was good as we remembered our time with our sweet little girl. God is so gracious!