Journey to Ohio

I'm still a little behind in getting all my photos posted but we are getting there.

Part Three: Leaving Colorado Springs
It was a busy morning but we were in high spirits (trying not to dwell on what was being left behind)! With Mike out of his back brace, we ran around like mad doing all the last minute things we had on our "to do" list. Finally, by noon we were hungry but eager to get on the road certain we could find somewhere to eat just down the road.

Mike was very excited to hit the sites and the number one on the list was driving out a dirt road 11 miles our of our way to see the highest point in Kansas. Let me tell you, it was exciting...so exciting I don't think I can handle going back.

Here it is, the highest point in Kansas...

I had the atlas in the car and secretly hoped for food at every little town listed. Unfortunately, there's not much between here and the middle of Kansas. Not even a McDonald's! We were starving but found a little snack about 30 minutes from our Hays, Kansas destination. We were greeted by good family friends from my childhood days in Montrose, CO. Chris and Rita Hauck opened their home with open arms and filled our bellies with wonderful smoked chicken and fresh sweet corn. Their sprinkler system was a big hit and Lucas was the Mr. Water Man for the evening checking everything out. Thank you Hauck's for opening your home and hearts! It was wonderful to visit and relax after a long drive.

Chris, Mommy, Daddy and more Hauck friends...
Wanting sooo much to push all the buttons...
Mommy, Daddy, Yummy Chicken & Chris...

The whole gang with Rita too!


We departed Hays and headed to Kansas City, MO to meet up with a dear friend of mine from Benedicitine College soccer years. Heather has two beautiful young boys and was able to meet us for a quick lunch. She has all the photos so I'll have to track those down.

That night we stopped a few hours from St. Louis at a hotel. We swam in the pool and made hotel coffee of course...Lucas' favorite part.

Mr. Hotel Coffee Maker Man...
The next day we were off to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO...
It's a tall one...
Up close and personal...
Waiting to go to the "tippy top"...

Space ship elevator...
With Mommy...
Looking down below...
"We are right here!"
Grandma J will be proud, we got our Nat'l Parks Passport Book stamped!!!

After another hotel night we found ourself pulling into Wright-Patterson Air Force Base mid-morning. It was nice to see the big beautiful Datyon trees after the long drive!

Farewll BBQ

Mike's climbing boyfriend...oops, I mean climbing partner Rob and his new wife Jane put on a little BBQ to say good-bye. We had a wonderful time and enough food to feed the neighborhood! It was our last night in town and a great way to say good-bye to close friends. Thanks Pizem's...come visit us in the Red River Gorge!

Here's Robby...and Jane...
and Mark & Kate...

and Joe & Jewel...
and Jana, Janelle & Christy...
and Big boy Lucas...

and Daddy, Rob & Uncle Micah...

Quite the Gang!

Colorado Mountains!

Before heading to the East, we wanted to soak up as many mountains as possible. We headed to Mt. Evans with Kate and Mark on Saturday morning. For those of you who have not yet been to Mt. Evans, you can drive to the top and there are some beautiful places to stop along they way.

Lucas taking in the view and a yummy Oreo cookie...


Daddy checking out some rock climbers...

Kate and Mark, sooo cute!

Lucas noticed this "Pollen Jock" and was a little confused why they don't have pollen guns like the bumble bees on the Bee Movie?

The next day we headed to Estes Park and went on a drive through Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. It was chilly up there but a beautiful day. We'll have to get the other photos from Grandpa J.

Here's Mommy and Lucas going out to see the Elk but it was too cold and windy for a long hike...
Daddy captured the Elk on film so we headed back to the warm car...
We spent the night at Grandma & Grandpa J's and had yummy Olathe Sweet Corn, the best ever!

We didn't know it until we got home but we had a BIG SCARY BEAR in our house!

Oh, what will we do without Grandma & Grandpa Jakulewicz? And boy, oh boy, we will miss those Colorado mountains?!

The Fence!

Before headed to Dayton, we had to get the house ready for our new renters. One of the "To Do" things was building a back yard fence for their old Golden Retriever. To our surprise, the hole digging went way faster than expected so that put us ahead of schedule. Too bad we were already behind schedule from procrastinating the start date.

My brother Micah came to help one weekend and my dad came up another day to assist with the wire. Thank goodness my family came to the rescue. It was a quick-build fence but we put in some long days for sure. It turned out better than expected! Thank you Micah for all your help and laughs...and yummy ice cream too! Dad, your expertise was once again top-notch and the end result showed true Jakulewicz workmanship. Thank you so much for all your help! We love and miss you all!

Note: I wouldn't recommend building a fence the weekend before the movers are scheduled to pick up your household goods. It makes for total craziness! :) Glad to be done with that one!

Part 2: The Fence

Uncle Micah and Lucas after a long day of fence building...
Uncle Micah and his puppy...

The family, tired but happy that the fence is up...
Grandpa J's touch, the wire expert...

Oops, no photo of Grandpa J. Sorry Grandpa, we must have been too busy to take photos! :)

Photos, Photos and More Photos...

Hello! I can't believe it's already September and we've been in Dayton for almost an entire month! We are doing well but still have no home to call our own. However, we are hoping to find out today if the final closing date is accepted by the seller's bank. It's a long story that I won't go into but hopefully today will be a big day and one with answers. Positive thoughts!

Yesterday was my first Dayton baby doctor appointment. Everything checked out and we are scheduled for an ultra sound on September 19th. I'm getting to the point where the pants are getting tight so it's time to break down and find some maternity clothes. All of mine are packed away in a box somewhere so we get to go shopping a little. Pretty exciting if you like shopping while you feel plump and extra curvy! Oh the joys of pregnancy but so worth it.

I finally found the camera USB cord and was able to download all our photos from the past two months. Only 256 photos to go through. Luckily, many of those were from Lucas practicing his photography skills and were easily filed away in the recycle bin.

Here's it is, the start of one big happy photo gallery to get you all caught up on our adventures...

Part One: Trip to Oregon to see Grandma & Grandpa Anderson
(sorry, no photos of our family camping which also took place on this trip...they're on a CD in a box somewhere)

Real Pilot Lucas...
The Mighty Spruce Goose...
Sprinkler from Grandma A which was an early birthday gift but a huge hit...
Marine Science Center on the Coast of Oregon with Grandpa Anderson and checking out ocean critters...
Walking "down by the bay" with Grandma and finding a real crab...

The last photo? Lucas having his first "romantic" kiss with Vanessa the Pez Machine, from The Bee Movie. "I love Vanessa mommy!"

Nice day at the beach?! It was 100 degrees 45 minutes away and 50 degrees on the coast, we froze...
Lucas loved the light house but was a little short to make the journey to the top, maybe next time...
I'll blame the incredible wind gusts on the "drunken sailor man" photography!



Looking for starfish and sea lions...

A little rock climbing too...of course!

Just checking things out and trying to stay warm...Cousin Henry's house which was sooooo much fun...
Learning to catch a frisbee with Uncle Dan...



Henry and his new sandbox...

A little T-ball too...

Portland Zoo with Grandma & Grandpa (our last day)...




Dinosaur World!

Big, giant T-Rex that moved, made noises and was pretty life like...
What a wonderful trip. We miss you Grandma & Grandpa Anderson!
Love, Janelle Mike Lucas and ?

Back on the Horse!

We met up with some friends at the local climbing gym "Urban Krag" passed our belay tests and had our first after back brace climbing experience! It was wonderful and so nice to see Mike do a little climbing again. His back is feeling great so he's been cleared to do light exercise. Keeping climbing "light" is always a challenge especially if you're Mike but he did a great job and didn't over do it...wasn't even sore!

Lucas was the happiest back to an environment he's grown up in and surprised all the locals by his mellow behavior and funny conversations. We just had a wonderful time and felt like "normal" when everything else has been so out of normal.

House update...we will know by Friday if the bank will accept our offer and if not, it's on to the next. It's been frustrating having to wait and potentially waste time just to start over but the house would be a good one for sure. More to come...

Tomorrow we are going to visit some preschools so Lucas is excited but a little nervous when I told him that I would not stay with him at the school. Our last "school" experience was a Mommy/toddler class so that will take some time getting used too...being a really big boy. I'm sure he won't be so excited the first couple days but it will be good for all of us.

I've joined another Shaklee team for this season's Team-Up Event. It's a wonderful way to help build a bigger and stronger business while working with other people who have a Shaklee business. Our goal is to bring in new business partners and really share the wonderful Gold Ambassador Program. The annual conference was also held this August and unfortunetly I was unable to go because of our move but new products and programs were announced. Vivix is the latest rage and one I'm still learning about. It's an Anti-Aging Serum taken orally which targets the body at a cellular level. It not only has been proven to stop cellular aging but actually reverse it. We are so excited about this and the testimonials are already coming in from people only using it a few weeks. I think the most exciting is the potential it holds for disease and other illnesses...the future looks bright!