end of october

it is so crazy to think that today is the last day in october and that november is coming full speed ahead...

we have had the most beautiful weather this week (following the crazy cold we had last week)... the sun has been shining every day with not even a cloud in the sky! i've gone to the park 3 times this week and sat in the warm sun to read, journal, and watch life happen around me! its been wonderful! a true answer to my prayers! =0)

school week was real busy for Rob... but he made it through! =0) we both had sports banquets (softball-Tuesday, football-Wednesday). Was great to see the kids again & award them for all their hard effort (well... most of them) hehe... =0) i took some pictures but it was so dark they didn't turn out well enough. =(

another answer to prayer... i finally got approved to be a licensed substitute in the state of Colorado!!! =0) (applied beginning of August)... I sent in my application to the district Rob teaches in... and they have accepted me as well! i go to training on Monday morning... and then should be able to start working in the schools the following week! =0) praise the Lord for His timing and provision!

tonight we are hoping to help out a bit at a local church's harvest party! im looking forward to seeing those cute kids all dressed up and excited about candy! haha... =0)

This coming week Ali Foster comes!!! excited to spend the week with her! =0) We will try and post more this weekend or coming week! =0)

We love and miss you all greatly!

muller state park

today rob and i drove an hour outside colorado springs to hike at a park famous for their aspen trees. our hope was to see a few still in fall glory... but unfortunately all their leaves were on the ground already. =( but the views and hike was still gorgeous! here are a few pics attempting to capture the grandeur! =0)

Fall Fun!

Autumn is absolutely my favorite season! I love the colors it brings... the thoughts of holidays approaching... being with family... yummy foods... and so, so, much more! I was a little disappointed coming back from the Philippines this autumn because it seems that the leaves changed colors overnight... when we left there wasn't a yellow tree around and now that we are back, most trees have already lost their leaves. =( but i was able to catch a few of them in full beauty!





over the past few months of living in Colorado, both Rob and I have had our days of longing for "home" (Oregon)... This past week has been one of my weakest in that area. I have been feeling so home-sick and longing for my family and friends. I realized a lot of this was rooted in how different Fall is here... so after a night of crying to Rob about my feelings... we decided that I needed to fully embrace the season here! So we planned a weekend full of Fall Fun!!! =0) I went to a few stores to get some cheap but cute decorations for our apartment... looked up some autumn recipes... and researched where we could go to find a pumpkin patch! So yesterday (Saturday) Rob and I went south to Diane's Pumpkin Patch in Canon City, picked out the perfect pumpkins, went through the corn maze, came home and made cider, carved out pumpkins, then had home-made pumpkin soup! (never made that before... but wow! so yummy!) Today we are going to a new church, then to a near-by state park to walk through the remaining fall leaves, then i am making home-made pumpkin pie (also a first!) It has been a wonderful weekend! =0)

snow in october?!?

we couldn't believe it! we woke up on tuesday morning (the 21st) and saw snow covering the ground! And it was only 30 degrees outside! With a wind-chill making it feel even colder. The roads were a little icy in spots as Rob went to work... but by noon all roads were clear and only a few spots of snow remained in more shady spaces. Even though my first thought was... "this is going to be a long winter"... it was actually a beautiful day! The sun was shining bright in the sky! people here have said that even though winters can be cold and there is lots of snow... there is also lots of sun! so that is what I am holding on to! hehe... =0) here are a few pics of our first day of snow in the Springs....

Pilipino Adventures

We spent our 2 week fall break in the Philippines! After 24+ hours of traveling we arrived at the home of the Weissers (Tif taught 3 of their kids when she lived there). We spent the next couple days exploring the city of Manila... mostly going to Malls because that is what you do in the city. =0) plus Malls are air conditioned! We also spent many hours up at Faith Academy (the school Tif taught at) seeing Tif's old students and friends. I got to meet many people who have a special place in Tif's heart including her Filipino friends Erwin, Rita and their baby girl Yana!

We had a few nights out with the Weisser kids (bowling, eating large amounts of ice-cream out of the same tub, games, etc... We attended the dedication for the new auditorium that was recently completed, listened to concerts, and attended a dinner theater, had lunch with students, and made time to just sit and catch up with people Tif has missed.

Then it was off to the beach for 3 days of fun in the sun! We rode there on a public bus... side note, buses in the Philippines are the monsters of transportation... blaring down the rode, weaving in and out of traffic as if they were a motorbike instead of a huge bus... the ride would not be complete without an in-transit movie (ours being David Hasselhoff vs 60ft man eating python).

After our days of relaxation we came back to Manila to watch the high school kids' volleyball tournament and say our goodbyes. It was bitter-sweet... sad to leave but it is also nice to be back in our own apartment. In regards to future plans and decisions... we did not hear any loud directions from God as to what He would have us do... but there was a sense that God is closing doors at Faith Academy for the time being. This was especially hard for Tif, but we are trusing God with our future! Thank you for all your prayers.

Pics from Last Games of the Season

End of 1st Quarter... begining of....

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the 1st quarter in Rob's school district! The end of Softball season, Football season.... When we entered this quarter we questioned whether or not we felt this new place/jobs were a right fit for us... we entered into a few things reluctantly just trusting the God would be at work, like He always is! and now here we are.... 1 quarter finished and as we were talking about this last night... we realized we are going to miss a few things. Praise God for this transformation of heart!!! =0)

Rob's district is set up in such a way that he has 2 weeks off (starting this Saturday) before 2nd Quarter starts! and as we wrote before... we are taking this opportunity to go to the Philippines!!! It is hard to believe that we leave in 4 days! Please be praying with us for safe travels and for a great time of re-charging! also... there are some ministry decisions we are going to be praying through during these 2 weeks... were to call our "church home"? what kind of ministry we want to join in on? will this affect our current location/jobs? and such.... some heavy questions and thoughts... but exciting to think of all the possibilities!!! =0) We will try and post as often as we can while in the PI... and im sure we will fill many of you in when we get back!

We love you all!
~Rob & Tif