Pirates Game

Funny, but you never know who you will run into at a Pirates game. We spent the weekend in Pittsburgh as I had to take my board exam. The dogs went to doggy daycare (or the kennel). We went to a Pittsburgh Pirates game on Friday night to celebrate my exam being over. We ran into a few familiar faces--my Uncle Hector, Aunt Marijo, and cousins Emily, Rachel, and Justin. So next time you go to a Pirates game, look around every corner to see who you might know!!!!

Luke had a great time. As his dad remembered, his first baseball game was the Pirates vs. the Reds, and Luke's first game was the Pirates vs. the Reds. Luke slept a lot, cried when the men behind us started to heckle the left fielder, and enjoyed looking around. He was very excited about his 1st bat given to him by his Great Uncle Hector!!!

Hiking

We have discovered the whole family loves to hike, including the animals, minus the gray furball. We have been visiting Moraine State Park on a triweekly basis and hiking around the trails. We know the ones in the area we have been hiking on quite well. We ended up taking a really long one the other day, that made Luke fall asleep, but otherwise he is a real trooper. Here are some shots...

Visitors

We were delighted that my Grandma and Aunt Cindy came down to visit us on their way to Pittsburgh. Joe made homemade spaghetti sauce and we had a salad and dessert pizza. It was a wonderful time.

We are still unpacking and enjoying the house. Work starts on Monday for me. Joe and Luke can continue to chill out on the couch for awhile!!

canada pictures

We are still here.....

We know it has been almost a month since our last entry, and we apologize. We graduated, then flew to KC to see Joe's family and then to Canada for Joe's sister's wedding in the Canadian Rockies. Then back to Harlingen, for 2 nights before we loaded the van and headed on our 5 day road trip to Slippery Rock, PA. I recommend traveling with 2 dogs, 1 cat, and a 4 month old for this distance if no one has ever done it before. You get to hit all the cool rest stops for potty breaks and walks. The days were short in the hours of driving, as in 5 hours of driving time, but it would take us about 8-9 per day to make that 5 hours of driving time. But we had fun, listened to some books on tape and talked.

We finally arrived in our new home in Slippery Rock on Sunday night. It was great to feel at home. We lived in our home for 6 days without furniture as the movers came on Saturday night. But we had a good time. We got to explore Moraine State park, have dinner with my new boss and his family, see some old friends, and visit Pittsburgh twice to see my Grandma. So it wasn't all that bad. However after 6 nights of sleeping on sleeping bags we were ready for a bed. After the movers left at 1 am on Sunday morning, we went to bed and were thankful when my boss and his daughter showed up the next day after church and helped us move some things and keep Luke occupied so we could get some things done. About an hour after they left, my Dad and Laurel came down and stayed over and were a huge help to getting things situated. So now we have all the boxes gone from the upstairs, but the garage and basement are full of boxes!!!!

We are loving our house and the climate in Slippery Rock. Joe is still trying to install an electric fence, multiple things have hindered the progress-mostly the daily rain and the Luke watching. We are enjoying the State Park and try to go there every other day for hikes. We are liking life without jobs right now. But that will all change soon. I take my boards on Friday and start work on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Graduation

Erin and I had our graduation yesterday from Residency. It was a bitter sweet time, as it will be hard to say good-bye to all the great friends and family we have down here in South Texas. We had a great class and we will really miss each other as we are all going across the globe for our next mission station in life. Thanks to all who were here for graduation and have prayed for us during this journey of our lives. We are off to Kansas then Canada for Joe's sister's wedding, and then off to Pennsylvania. Lots of changes happening!!!

3rd Year Party

As our time in Harlingen is coming to an end, we are starting to say goodbye. We had a 3rd year dinner on Saturday and had a great time with our class. Our graduation from residency is on Saturday night, so it will be a time of celebration, but also sadness as we say goodbye to our home for the last 3 years. Luke enjoyed his time with the Tello kids, another family who will be leaving. They all love "BABY LUKE".

Our house looks like a mess with boxes everywhere. We are started to eat on paper plates and drink from plastic glasses as the rest has been packed away. The movers will be here soon and we will be in Pennsylvania in less than 3 weeks. My how time flies. If anyone wants to buy a lovely house, please let us know, it is still for sale!!!!