A Big Truck and Lots of Sun

We got up early this morning to take Matt to pick up his new truck! We've been looking for what seems like forever for one to replace the SportTrac...he needed something a little bigger for work. And oh boy...it's big!

It's also a diesel and we are super excited to convert it to run on straight veggie oil. Gas prices are getting a bit scary these days. After owning it for about 5 minutes, I heard him muttering something about looking for a fifth wheel. Ha! You can take the man off the road but...

After dropping Daddy off at the dealer, we took off to the mall. And our mall has this huge "beach-like" area that we played in. The girls dug and filled their clothes and shoes with sand. Bella created giant letter "ditches" for each of our names. Mom and I stocked up on Vitamin D. It was so HOT! Loved it. I am SO excited for summer to get here. I can taste the watermelon already.

And one last thing. If you ever wonder how I got SO CRAZY...

Blame this lady :) So thankful to have this time with my mama.

New Discoveries

We left the house this sunny afternoon to explore more of our lovely city...and we discovered a gem! Caffe Luna is just a short bike ride from our house and I am thrilled to have it so close. I pulled up on my cruiser (first ride since Cali!) with the girls in the trailer and we parked it in the front. I noticed right away the patrons were my kind of people. You know what I mean...they looked like they weren't exactly "going with the flow" :) hee hee

We walked in and Bella immediately claimed our very own room with floor to ceiling books, a table and several comfy chairs. It was pretty quiet, so we were able to spread out a bit. The light was streaming in and it was overall just pretty dreamy. I ordered some vegan white bean soup and sourdough bread with green plum iced tea and Bella got a homemade brownie and vanilla rooibos. The barista was helpful and kind to the girls, answering my many questions with ease. There were a few ladies in the main room hanging a new art exhibit.

Lucy immediately noticed that there was another baby present...she made the baby sign and asked to go see her. Bella walked her over there and they had a nice conversation and I went to join them and talked with the mama for a bit. There were toys and books for them to play with...which is genius if you ask me. Every coffee shop needs to do that! I love taking my girls out on "dates"...because I love watching them interact with the world around them. They are such bright & friendly spirits...it makes me happy being with them.

I can't wait to come back and enjoy a quiet mama day on the front porch...with a scone and some steamy coffee. They have all kinds of breakfast foods and they open at 6am. The only unfortunate thing is that they close at 6pm....but the barista assured me that I could sit on the porch long after they closed to use their wi-fi. Love it.

After we left the cafe, we rode across the street to the playground and basked in the sun a bit more. Then we rode back home to our neighborhood corner park and met one of our neighbors and her daughter. An hour later, we met more neighbors and they have 5 and 7 year old girls. They were SO nice and we made plans for the girls to play together.

It was a good day.

Have you discovered anything new and wonderful in your own town lately?

Life in Longmont

Oh where to begin? There is much to tell and my heart is full. So without further ado, I give you...the big life update.

We moved into a rental house in Longmont, Colorado on December 31. This little house couldn't be more perfect. I know, I know...how do we find these places, right? It was built in 1910, but it's been remodeled nicely and has paint colors that jive with our style already. It's in a perfectly wonderful part of town...close to parks, the library, and most importantly, the Thai restaurant. ;) Oh, did I mention the adorable little backyard that is perfect for entertaining and hooping? See the tour here.

Matt is working in Boulder for my brother's company, and it's just a short drive away with mountain views the entire way.  It's been different having him gone all day at work, but we are slowly adjusting and finding our new rhythm after 4 years of having him at home. I'll be writing more about that soon.

I am looking forward to doing more photography...if you are in the area, I'd love to do your family/child/engagement photos. And please share my website with your friends!

Speaking of friends :) It's not often that you can move to a completely new community and have an instant network of friends...but that's exactly what we have here. Some of our dearest and oldest friends, Kris and Natalie, live here. Natalie knows me so completely. We've been through the highest highs and the lowest lows of life together. Oh how I love her!

Kris and Matt are like two peas in a pod. Both towering over the general population at 6'6"...they make quite the pair. We've been creating memories together since our college days...and we're all looking forward to making many more!

They have been out here for about 5 years planting house churches...and we will be jumping right in alongside them. Matt led worship this last week and again this week. He has missed that so much. We're excited to be plugged back into a home church community.

I also have a slew of blog friends that live in the Denver metro area...and I already have plans to meet up with many lovely ladies. My brother, Scotty, is now working in Boulder too...it's been so great seeing him all the time. My brother Dan, and Jess are here often as well. AND...my aunt/uncle/cousins live in Denver...so we have no shortage of family here!

Longmont is just a fun place to be. And with a population of almost 90,000, there is a lot to do.  There is a wonderful rec center with an indoor water park, there are yoga studios, tons of parks, museums, great shops and restaurants. Denver is just 45 minutes away and Boulder is just 20 minutes away. Or, we can go north to Loveland or Ft. Collins!  Or all of beautiful Colorado for that matter.

The hooping community here is also amazing. I have many friends from Hoopcamp who live here and attend different jams all over the area. There is always something "hoopy" going on...including the upcoming Spin Summit! Woooo!

Longmont also has a strong network of homeschoolers and learning opportunities abound.

Need I go on? It's pretty much the perfect place for us right now. Which leads me to the next thing...

We're staying!

Our hearts are settled and we love it here. We never planned on traveling full-time forever...although we will always call ourselves "travelers". It's funny...we never thought we would end up in this area. But God has a way of changing things up when you least expect it. Some of you may wonder how we can "give it all up". Especially when life on the road seems so perfect. But it's time. It's time to slow it down. Create community. Give our girls some roots. Make new traditions.

Will we miss our life on the road? Of course. Is this a HUGE change for us? Yes.

We will miss meeting up with so many amazing people...BUT, there are still new people to meet and new experiences to have right here at "home". We have a new life, a new normal, and a new vision for our future. And someday when the time is right, we will travel again.

The RV will be up for sale shortly...if you're in the market for a sweet, family-friendly 40-foot RV that runs on veggie oil, feel free to email us for details.

For the rest of you...flights into Denver are cheap! Come and visit! Oh, and there are 2 houses for rent on our street. Who wants to be my neighbor?