Phileo

Phileo {Fill-ee-oh}. Def. A really cool guy of greater years with family ties to one Kari Hornaday. Enjoys Football, Basketball, his awesome wife Patty, his kiddos Maya & Jax, and summer afternoons out fishing.

There's this statue in a downtown park. It always reminds me of my much-missed sister Kris, who passed away, but it also reminds me to pray for my big brother. It's fun to remember Phil & Kris' relationship too. HORSE tournaments, paint balling at Daryl's, practicing his catcher's stance in the backyard, hiking, and fishing. :)

My family is amazing.

Parks, Pooches, & Slobber

We split our day between Bush's Pasture Park and Minto-Brown Island Park today. A tired pup & my movie star sunglasses, as Steve calls them, make for a good day.

Must sniff grass...

At the playground in Bush's Pasture Park that Steve grew up playing on.

Rockin' the glasses... As much as I rock anything.

Made it to Minto. Everyone loves the shade & water.

The brown dog would be Wilson. He's awesome.

We forgot his name...

Totally bummed he had to come home.

Zonked.

Translation: "Get that phone out of my face, woman, or I'll eat it!"

On the wire

I hung out a clothes line today. The wildlife must have appreciated it because this dragonfly landed as soon as I brought out my first load of wash.

Our Little Announcement

We've added a new member to our family. It doesn't eat as much, and it has a lot of endurance. Such a helpful little guy. And all mine! Steve might disagree, but I'm determined!

Sharpie Magic

I love rubbing alcohol. It's the anti-sharpie. I recycled this bubble mailer, but be careful when using rubbing alcohol. Buy a lower Percentage alcohol or it can ruin the item you're trying to clean.

Stuck

I love summer. Gardening, late night walks, farmer's markets, hiking, swimming... Oops! Almost forgot road construction! I hate it though. However, it's not so awful with a view like this...

Puppy Playtime @ Petco

Bigsby went to puppy play time at Petco for the first time. Nobody told us it was pretty much all tiny dogs.

Let's Go Camping!!

We did it!

All the way to 5am! Biggs had to potty.

Bigsby was fascinated by the crinkling tents. Steve and I still have our own tents from our single days. We decided to air them both out.

Steve's tent sleeps two. Mine sleeps four. Who thinks further ahead? The woman! Haha

After buying our house, I never felt very connected to it. I've always struggled with putting down roots in a place. When I sunk those tent stakes in the ground and stepped back to survey the scene, it hit me. This is my land. THIS beautiful grass and these big trees are MINE! Who cares about the house...

There is something truly unique about land. I'll never read the verses about Israel "possessing the land" or "living long in the land" lightly ever again. The land is, in my mind, one of God's greatest gifts. Through His will, it sustains us, protects us, gives us hope and excitement, and it is the canvass of His original love letter to us. This will take me a long time to fully grasp.

The crazy thing about our yard are the new plants that are constantly popping up. Much to our (surprisingly strong) dislike, these mushrooms keep popping up. Yet look how intricate they are! Isn't that amazing?

So... We got outside to enjoy our home. My tent has two zipping doors. Steve's has one. Hence we have a bedroom with a large dressing room aka the "eternal tent". Biggs lost control. He LOVED it.

Now that we know it's good camping land, come on over! But bring a sleeping pad or air mattress... Seriously solid ground here.

Love,
The Grumpy Camper ;)

Let Freedom Ring!!

Happy 4th of July!
- Steve, Kari, & Biggs