Beach Day with the Boyces

We had such a great time with our friends, the Wilkinsons and the Boyces (who are missionaries in Asia)! We went kayaking & swimming at Laguna Beach by the Montage, and then we picked up take-out Italian food and had a romantic candlelit sunset dinner overlooking the ocean. We even convinced the guys to dance with us! It was truly a perfect day.

High School senior picture poses...

August 2007: Hong Kong

This was my last Asia trip...bittersweet, but wonderful as always. My co-worker Karen and I had and incredible time together. I still can't believe I get to do this as part of my job!!!

August 2007: Celebrating Annie's Birthday

What a perfect birthday celebration--live music, friends, cupcakes, and a beautiful sunset!

I'm SO glad Annie is back in town...I missed her terribly while she was in France. Annie is one of those rare people who understands me in all my weirdness.

July 2007: Joy in the Midst of Great Sorrow

On July 12th, Lucille Jackson (Paul's grandma) passed into the loving arms of Jesus. Though tragic, the family gathered together to remember good times and celebrate her life. It was a special time of sharing stories, laughing and crying together. Celebrating Mom's birthday (belated) at Disneyland! Celebrating Shell's Birthday! Celebrating Margaret's 60th! We surprised her with an anniversary trip to Santa Catalina, the island of romance! Celebrating Daniel's Birthday!

July 2007: Trip to Wisconsin

We had an awesome 4-day vacation in Wisconsin with our friends, Andy and Jenna. We sang in their wedding and also had some time to see the amazing city of Madison. What a cool city! I could definitely spend more time there. We really enjoyed getting to know Andy's friends and family too...especially his sweet Grandma Jo. And of course we got to try fresh Wisconsin cheese curds and homemade venison jerky...mmmm, yummy!

June 2007: Family, Friends, Surf and Sun!

The highlight of June was getting to see Jer, Steph, Jake and Toby. The boys weren't sure what to think about the ocean, but overall I think they had a good time at the beach. We also got to celebrate Jacob's 2nd birthday. It was a short but sweet visit...can't believe they're 1,000 miles away now! :(

It was a special treat to see Heidi on her way back to school in Santa Barbara! We had our long-awaited San-O day! We arrived at 5:30 a.m. and stayed at the beach until 10:00 p.m. We made a big breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc., and then we barbequed and had a bonfire with smores. Paul gave some surf lessons, and I even surfed for 30 minutes. A great time was had by all!

Marilyn and I traveled to Orlando for probably our last east coast trip before our release dates. It was a long and tiring trip, but a great time of getting to know the Orlando team and training the new writers.

Here I am with a classic 16 mm projection unit used on the field to screen the JESUS film.

June 2007: Garage Day

Yes, I realize it's hard to believe that anyone's garage could ever get this bad. Here's the before:

And after...
Amazingly, we did this all in one day! Phew....

Why I'm Not Moving to Orlando

Oh the joys of free public wifi! Marilyn and I are hard at work overlooking the beautiful San Clemente pier. (No, we don't do this every day).

May 2007: Celebrating and Saying Goodbye

This time at work of gradually saying goodbye to people as they move to Orlando or onto life's next great adventure has been heartrenching, to say the least. In May, we had to say a tearful goodbye to Ellen Rhoda, who I affectionately call my aunt (long story....). Shortly after Ellen's goodbye, Connie through a tea party for all of the FIS ladies. It was a wonderful time of cherishing our memories together!

Aunt Ellen and me (below)

May 2007: Celebrating our 5th Anniversary!

We've celebrated most of our anniversaries at Big Bear, and it's become a tradition! We love escaping to the woods to enjoy the fresh air, serenity and beautiful views. We stayed in a cute cozy little cabin and commemorated our 5th anniversary by resting and relaxing together. I can't believe we've already been married for 5 years!