Congratulations, Ron!

After 4 years of lots of hard work Ron has become an ASA! He is officially on the list! Check it out at: http://soa.org/files/pdf/edu-2008-10-asa-names.pdf

I am very proud of him and thankful for him for lots of reasons ... but as it relates to this I'll just share a few things that come to mind...

*He left his chosen field of engineering in part to find a career that would challenge him differently, but I believe primarily to be able to provide for me in a way that would allow me to stay home with our kids but also so we could stay near my family, friends and the area I love!

*He took a leap of faith by taking a test and applying for a job as an acturial student when the odds seemed to outweigh the future opportunities (Thanks Brian for your help in this area!)

*He studied lots of extra hours while continuing to go to work everyday and helping me as much as he could.

*He didn't get discouraged when he didn't achieve the results he would've liked right away.

*He took initiative to learn new things, pursue new job opportunities and stayed focused on his goal!

*He worked hard to make this goal happen!

*He did all of this while being a newlywed, giving of himself to the teens in the youth group at FBC, having a pregnant wife (3 times) that required a lot of his help, having 3 newborns in the house (and then subsequently busy toddlers!), putting a house up for sale, moving 2 times and renovating a home!

I am very happy for him and excited he has achieved this goal! I look forward to seeing him become an FSA and helping him reach that goal, too!

Blog Comeback - Two Months in Review

Well - I've debated on how to make a blog comeback for several weeks now ... and before I debate any longer on the 'perfect' return post ... I better just get some stuff out there and get going again! (I hope some of you are still checking!)

We've had alot of fun this fall going to fall festivals, parades, the apple orchard, on hayrides and the pumpkin patch (three times!). Here's just a few photos of some of our adventures!

Nate picking his 1st pumpkin! (or attempting to stand upright for a few seconds so I could snap a photo!)

Lauryn enjoying a cider slushy ... we were supposed to be sharing but obviously the two straw method became a much more efficient way for her to slurp it down!

Attempting to leave a 15 acre corn maze ... did you know the sun sets really quickly! We ended up walking through the corn rows rather than following the maze. Poor Ron would not have made a good pioneer with his 3 small kids, wife and sister-in-law tagging along!

Day Two at the pumpkin patch ... Ron and Sarah spent FOREVER feeding these animals grass. I stood at a distance with Nate while we baked in the hot October sun armed with hand sanitizer. The animals kept eating and eating any piece of grass Ron, Sarah and the kids stuck by their mouths.

Ron and the kids enjoying a nice hayride (Pumpkin Patch trip #3) on a cold October night.

Lauryn, VERY enthusiastically cleaning out her pumpkin ... thanks to a catchy little tune Ron made up to make the smell and the feel of pumpkin guts not seem so gross!

Proud owner of a happy faced pumpkin ... later turned into a happy/scary pumpkin after he saw Lauryn and Ron's scary faced pumpkins.