these pics were taken by me, edited by Tracy Dodson :)
this is totally motivating me to learn photoshop! 
in ♥
we took these pics on vacation...
they are completely unedited... gorgeous couple or what?!?
can not wait for this wedding! :)
Vacation Projects :)
on vacation one of my favorite things to do each afternoon was walk along the sand with the love of my life and comb the beach for driftwood…
at the end of our week we had quite the loot…
which we toted home…
wanna see what became of all that driftwood?
there you have it…
driftwood chains…
currently strung over the lockers in the entry…
:)
another “project” (perhaps this is actually considered “crafting”… or maybe “art”…)
involved imprinting our favorite shells into the sand + plaster…
we’d never worked with plaster before…
and we lost two complete boxes because they set before we could get them out of the bucket…
third time was a charm…
this was our result…
a happy vacation memento!
:)
we did start one last ooey-gooey creation on vacation…
its currently sitting in the garage uncompleted…
more on that soon…
well... hopefully it will be soon…
8.10 - 8.14: Jonathan
It was a complete surprise to have this young man stay with us. I met him at my parent’s church in Kansas City when I visited there this past summer. He’s planning on attending college in SD this fall and needed a place to crash for a few nights while he was in search of a more permanent house close to school. It was fun getting to know this young man (he was on the mission field with his parents and six other siblings in Bosnia for 16 years—so cool) and we wish him all the best :)
8.4 - 8.9: Justin
It’s so FUN to have this guy around!
He and Matt just laugh their heads off when they are together…
J
On Sunday they went on this crazy hike… more on that later…
8.5 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day Seven
Life on family vacation has a rhythm all to itself.
early mornings, with my open Bible and java…
mid-mornings bid a walk down the street to our favorite donut shop and a sit around the breakfast table together…
early afternoon = readying ourselves for the beach
afternoons-> R&R @ the beach
and evenings mean yummy food out on the town :)
Today Matt and I headed out to catch our last vacation waves atop the boogie boards. The ocean agreed with us. Lots of waves were caught. Fun was had. J
I jumped into my last perfect wave of the day and glided all the way to shore. Ok, just one more…
Matt and I both caught a monster wave and were launched toward the shore together, side-by-side…
♥ him!
may we be walking beaches together for the rest of our lives ♥
8.4 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day Six
Today dawned hazy and warm, overcast with chiffon gray clouds threatening to drizzle at any moment. Early morning sea birds, intent on finding breakfast, swooped and played, their voices were melodious, breaking the quiet of the new day just as they broke the gray of morning and the first light glinted off their outspread wings.
A perfect morning for a run next to the ocean…
The grey of the morning hung on till early afternoon, but by the time beach camp was up, so was the sun J
And with Justin’s arrival the boys didn’t stop laughing… rolling on the floor till your sides ached laughing…
As they played with rocks (literally) and challenged each other to paddleball...
No one wanted to leave the beach today…
the beautiful evening light, all that sparkly water and the lovely, wild dolphins…
:) :) :)
8.3 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day Five
♥ beach mornings…
♥ the large windows that bathe the kitchen sunshine…
♥ the aroma of the coffee perking merrily…
♥ the purdy fresh flowers on the kitchen table…
♥ time with the Lord in the quietness of the morning…
♥ early morning surf sessions…
Inspired by the forecast—the best swell of the week—I kicked the others out from under their covers…whereupon we donned our wetsuits and lugged our longboards down the steps to the beach. Even dad came J
the water stung at first, but the fun that is had makes it well worth the eventual numbness in my toes…
now I am no surfer… yet…
I can (sometimes) make it to my feet for a few seconds, but then I always go down, arms flapping wildly, as I try to maintain my balance…
danielle surfing = catch the wave, pushup, stand, flap, fall...
return, repeat…
paddling back out I notice pelicans gliding above; illustrating how grace is supposed to be done…sigh…
one day perhaps…
but for now I do ♥ being out there with my sexy man…
I do ♥ when a peaking swell sweeps me into it and carries me along…
I figure I’ve got about 292 more times before I’m any good at surfing. Meanwhile, the sun bounces off the water and I inhale the beauty that surrounds me. Till one-by-one we join each other on back the sand; digging ourselves into its warmth, content to just sit and watch the sun break through the early morning haze.
8.2 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day Four
I was very much looking forward to taking long walks on the beach with my love…
and every afternoon Matt and I could be found doing just that…
Walking along the hard mud flats hand-in-hand; the wet, dark brown sand seeping between our toes.
Combing our beach for the just the right bits n pieces of driftwood underneath the intense rays of a late summer’s sun. Pronouncing the sand surrounding the jetty to be best littered with the finest driftwood, gnarled and twisted, looking like monsters and beasts…
And after we’d filled up our bags to overflowing we’d start back, continuing our lazy contented walk in the opposite direction, strolling the beach, lost in one another.
8.1 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day Three
I’ve always loved big family dinners…
lots of food…
lots of people…
lots of conversation…
dare I say it—lots of chaos…
the growing excitement, not just about the meal itself, but about what it all stands for: a time to celebrate, give thanks, and be together…
so up to Newport we went...
anticipating tonight’s big family dinner with some of our WA/CA family who happened to be staying in the area…
to our favorite adorable red eatery…
hello Crab Cooker J
lots of hugs…
lots of laughter…
conversations continuing on as we strolled down the pier…
and then as we walked down the boardwalk…
7.31 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day Two
With the first day of vacation in full effect, the boys packed their body-boards, surfboards and wetties…
We set up our little camp—chairs, cooler, umbrellas, towels—sunscreeened up and sat back to relax; looking forward to not doing much at all…
We spent time toasting our skin, napping, lounging… just lazing around on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves breaking onto the sandbar.
I ♥ vacationing with my family (especially with my love) on the beach…
barefoot and sandy…
a treat to shut off from the world for a few days…
on the way to dinner that evening Bre whispered to me that she likes “jolly Matt”
she says that in the office he’s “mad-working Matt”
we did laugh a lot on this vacation…
and Matt’s laugh makes me smile...
its starts out slow with a chuckle, then grows and grows…
good times J
7.30 Mueller Family Vacation in Carlsbad :) Day One
We just ♥ ♥ ♥ our annual family holiday by the sea… we feel so special coming to such a grand place…
A place where time moves a bit differently… where it is measured by tides, sunrises, shifting weather patterns and the moon moving across the sky….
Where the very first thing we do is follow the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea…
Till we’ve once again reached those familiar wooden stairs behind our pretty lil beach cottage—a lovely spot to watch the sun go down…
Listening to the waves beat against the beach, their sound peaceful and constant.
Watching the golden light from the setting sun spread itself out over the horizon.
Breathing in the evening’s salty, ocean air—sunset-still and summer-warm.
Amazing what happens when you truly get away from it all…
especially when Caltrans also picked the first day of your vacation to close the right two lanes of the southbound freeway and you had to fight a parking lot to get here…
A Summers Day at Winterbrook Ranch
This event was a tremendous blessing!
I pulled the following comments off FB from a few of the ladies in attendance that day J
“Thank you to everyone who put together our wonderful ladies event. I was so blessed, encouraged and challenged. The Lord really used Susan to hit me with a reality check in many areas.
My new goal is to memorize as much of God's Word as I can with no excuses! I have seen when I fight sin with scripture how the Lord works and have heard pastor preach on this so many times. Susan's talk and the subsequent reading of her book confirmed what the Lord has been telling me. "Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You." Ps 119:11 NASV”
“It was an incredible event! I was so blessed by Susan Heck and all the wonderful ladies of FBC who made that day possible. I'm grateful for all the new friends I met too! Thank you Jesus for such deep, rich fellowship with women who love you!”
“I, too, am so thankful for this wonderful day at Winterbrook Ranch. Don't you think it was a little taste of what it will be like to live on the New Earth and the fellowship and FUN we will have with the saints?! I so appreciate all the efforts of those who organized food, setup, decor and activities. Thank you to the Barbour girls for the wonderful worship and the really fun line dancing. My heart overflows with thankfulness for all of you wonderful ladies - servants of Christ.”
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