Sharing Our Journey

Maternity Pictures

2012-02-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

One of my friends, Melba, took some maternity photos at 32 weeks. It ended up raining, but we made the best of it and made use of the porches to get a few pictures. My favorites are the ones with Steven, but I included two "belly photos" as well so you can all see that yes, my belly is getting rather large. It has actually grown quite a bit more since this photo! The photos are at our new house and that made them even more exciting. The first one is in the backyard, the one with both of us seated is on the front porch, and the one with the arbor is in the side yard. You can even see a little bit of the view we enjoy from our porch with the skyline and even lights from a nearby town at night.

Pig Pickin in NC

2012-02-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

My mom held a shower for Steven, Baby B, and I to celebrate our upcoming addition with friends, family, and church members up in NC the last weekend in January. We celebrated with a pig pickin' and it was great! The weather was amazing and it was so great to see old friends from home. Everyone was so generous with the gifts and encouraging comments. Steven even helped open a few things in the beginning. Thanks Mom (Mimi) and Steve (Grandpa) for an awesome party!

Shower Time

2012-02-10T18:16:00.001-08:00

You know...a baby shower of course! The first one I had was at work and all the therapists did an awesome job of selecting fun gifts and toys for Baby B. I even got a basket full of cloth diaper covers and a few accessories to keep this baby's bottom covered with fluff :-)

I had a great time eating tacos and opening presents. I brought them all home to share with Steven and it was super exciting to sort through all the gifts. He just wanted to know where the disposable diapers were because he "heard" you always get some at baby showers. I told him we didn't need any of those and he said "I need them when you aren't here." Oh...this is going to be such a fun (and funny) journey for both of us into parenthood. Thanks so much for all the gifts! We feel so blessed already!

Dogs

2012-02-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

When we moved, we purchased a house with 10 acres in the woods and a few pieces of furniture from the previous owner. With the house, came a dog and five chickens. The chickens are great because they give us eggs, but the dog, definitely a little unsure about him at first. He is now part of our family and we love him! It is great that he willingly entertains Bailey day after day and even teaches her to bark at cars and ~~unfamiliar~~ all sounds. Bailey has decided that Sampson doesn't really need a bed to sleep on, so she has destroyed about four of them since we moved here. I have finally made a few from old fabric scraps and stuffed them with the filling from the beds she destroyed. These seem to be holding up for the most part. Anyway, we walked outside and found this dog bed explosion. Even though it has been a frustrating process to teach her not to do this, it was a pretty funny sight and all we could do was laugh :-)

Oh Christmas Tree

2012-02-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

I kinda have this thing about getting a picture of our tree each year, like our "Charlie Brown Tree" in Stehekin...and this year is especially important since the tree was put up in our new house! Here is one of the tree and my attempt at getting a picture of us in front of the tree. We all know how self portraits look :-)

Baby Photos

2012-02-10T18:10:00.000-08:00

Mom came down for the afternoon on December 8th to attend a 3D ultrasound with me. I think I was around 25 weeks at this point and it was so fun to see these little pictures. I feel the baby move a lot now and know it will be soon when I am watching the baby move while holding him/her in my arms! Time sure is going by fast so we are trying to enjoy every moment of it.

Time to Move

2012-02-05T17:03:00.003-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have been ~~slightly~~ really behind on blog posts for like maybe the last 6 months :-) Yes...most of you know that we did move right before Christmas. I was planning to post as the process occurred, but better late than never, right??? ~~Here is some pictures of the process.~~ I thought I had some pictures of the process, but not sure where they are located at the moment...oh well! We must say thanks to all our family and friends that helped along the way...couldn't have done it alone! Before we left our Harrison Road house, we had a celebration for Steven's birthday. It was a great way to say "goodbye" to the old house full of memories and fun times.

Merry Christmas

2012-02-05T17:03:00.002-08:00

After a crazy month of packing and moving...we had a chance to celebrate Christmas at our new house with my family and Steven's family! Some of the pictures are a little blurry, but you can see how excited we are to have enough space for everyone to visit and celebrate the holidays, yeah! Steven's family was able to come to our house to celebrate Christmas Dinner on Christmas night. My family came for four days the weekend of New Years to celebrate. The kids had a blast around the fire pit dancing around with sparklers. It was a ton of fun!

Christmas Letter

2012-02-05T17:03:00.001-08:00

Most people following this little blog received a copy of this in the mail, but thought I would share online as well. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

As thoughts fill your mind of the excitement in the last fewyears of Christmas “novels” created by the Bozard family, just wait until youget through this one! Of course, everything must go in order and you will justhave to wait for the good stuff (see paragraph 7 for those of you that arealready scanning the letter). We rang inthe New Year with some friends in Asheville while planning our winter vacationtrip back to Stehekin to spend time with old friends. It was great to visit and have a relaxingweek there in February will a little bit of snow. Yes, we did get the news that several feet ofsnow fell to the ground a few weeks after we left.

The year was off to a relaxing start as we enjoyed theremodel of our house on Harrison Road and continued to walk past the fewprojects still on the “to do” list; those projects still remain on thatlist. It is important to keep a fewthings undone at all times to keep the list going. No one wants a life without a “to do” list. Our backyard still remained empty after thepassing of Lady when we lived in Stehekin, so we decided to go dog-shoppingsince we didn’t have any travel plans for a few months. We settled on a fourmonth old Boykin Spaniel and her name was set at Bailey. There were quite a few discussions aboutnames, but this one fits her for sure. She has proved to be a great dog andsits at my feet now as I type. Herpreference is to lounge around the house and chew up all toys presented, eventhough Steven has her in training as a duck dog. Thoughts of her in that coldpond this winter on duck hunting ventures make me laugh; she will get used toit one way or another. Every time thefront door opens and our keys rattle, she runs to the door ready for a roadtrip.

The spring was relaxing and we spent a few weekends in NorthCarolina with family including a weekend to celebrate my grandfather’s 85^thbirthday. It was a great celebration andhe managed a few smiles to let us know he appreciated the presence of all hischildren and grandchildren. Even thoughthe disease of Alzheimer’s set in long ago, his heart still shined bright as wegathered around. The next time we allgathered around him was the weekend before Thanksgiving as people sharedthoughts and childhood memories. He hasspent the past 8 months at my mother’s house with amazing caregivers and a fewlucid moments here and there. OnNovember 21^st, the following Monday, he left this world to joinJesus, but not before he opened his eyes, looked up, and smiled. It was a year of goodbyes on both sides ofthe family. Steven’s nana fell inFebruary resulting in several hospital stays to follow. She slowly slipped away a few months afterher fall with family surrounding her one night in the hospital. They had made plans to take her back home soshe could be in familiar surroundings and the thought was enough for her to letgo of life here on earth.

Speaking of family, mine is doing well as mom and Steve stilllive in North Carolina splitting time between the farm and the beach house.Heather and Kip are raising two beautiful children willing to share hugs withanyone and their opinions as well! Steven’s mom continues to teach at the kindergarten in Orangeburg whileSharon and Michael’s kids get bigger by the minute. All three kids are back inpublic school and enjoying the plethora of options for afterschoolactivities.

Our summer was filled with Sundays on the lake and a fewcookouts here and there. Another trip toWashington was put on the books as our friends had set a wedding date for July.Of course we had to head up to Stehekin for a few days to say hello to friendswhile on the west coast.

Jobs remain the same for us this year with Steven working atthe cotton gin. His days are long right now with many hours a week put in onthe job. This spring a schedule change was nice as he was able to work morehours each day and take Fridays off. Icontinue to work at the hospital three days a week while learning how to run abusiness. With three employees under thecompany I call Kid Connections, I enjoy the responsibilities as an employer andthe weekly paperwork process that comes along with the title. My list of learned skills from the year islong and every minute of it has been enjoyable. I continue to pick up my camera on weekends for photo sessions here andthere. The holiday sessions this yearnumbered about 20 and the kids were great! I love seeing them grow from year toyear and capturing those moments of interaction between siblings andparents.

As the summer came to an end and the fall began, we startedplanning for another change in our lives. The expectancy of a baby! Yes, we arepregnant and due on March 15, 2012. Right now I am 6 months pregnant and my belly grows more each day. Thebaby is very active and likes to kick, flip, jump, hiccup, and move in anyother way possible while in the womb. Ilove every one of these little movements and it warms my heart to think of thisupcoming change for our family. We shared the news with our family in August asthey came to visit for a weekend and found a crib in the extra bedroom. All thenursery decorations are done now with black and white fabric creating thecurtains, pillows, and a crib skirt. Mysewing machine and I got to know each other very well as I set out to completethose projects a few months ago. Momsurprised me with an early Christmas present; a serger to make diapers. The plan is for this little baby’s bottom tobe covered in cloth, so I will let you know how it goes. It is crazy to plunder through websites andsee the wide variety of types, styles, and designs. It has been fun to plan for this little onethat will enter the world in March. Steven and I are thankful for this babythat has already been such a blessing to us in so many ways. No, we are not going to find out the gendereven though we have enjoyed several ultrasounds to see the movements of thislittle one.

We are moving. Yes, you read that correctly: I am 6 monthspregnant and packing the house to move. I must admit that a move was not in our plans for 2011 and only discussionhad occurred about possibly changing locations in 2012, but maybe not until2013. Anyway, we came across an awesomehouse in the country and the process was off to a rapid start. Our closing date is set for December 8^thwith plans to move on December 10^th, Steven’s birthday. I say it isa pretty good birthday present, don’t you think? The house is situated on a bluff with 10acres about 30 minutes outside of Columbia. It is a log cabin with a full basement with plenty of space forguests. Steven and I discuss upcomingplans to have parties and family gatherings there in the years to come. We are excited to say the least! So, I will hit the print button on thecomputer after completing this letter the night before closing. I figure I better wait until the last minute,just to make sure everything will be finalized. You can get a sneak peak of the house on our Christmas photo and willjust have to plan a visit to get a complete tour of the inside. The yard will include a garden, chickens, anda few dogs to start. The house will beempty at first as the square footage is greater than our current house, butsoon furniture and fun will fill each room. Good thing the sewing for the nursery is complete; all ready to bepacked up and relocated to the new house.

The plans for the week: complete all Christmas shopping,relax, reflect on our happenings from 2011, and daydream about the upcomingchanges in 2012. We send prayers for a safe holiday season and hope for manymoments shared with family and friends for each one of you. Keep Christ on your mind this Christmas andat the center of your life for each New Year to come. God bless you as He continues to bless useach day!

Steven, Heidi, and Baby Bozard

Black and White

2012-02-05T17:03:00.000-08:00

I decided to use black and white as the colors for the baby's room, since the walls are a red/orange color. Nope...we still don't know the gender so thought this would be gender neutral. I had a blast learning how to use my surger to tighten up seams and make the pillow covers. Here it is with almost everything complete. I still plan to make some sort of toy bag for the side of the crib, a crib skirt (or at least adjust this one so it is even), and a lamp cover. Just felt like I needed to start somewhere though. We are still loving this little crib we bought in August to share the news of our pregnancy with family. It matches the furniture so nicely and I love to imagine little "Baby B" sleeping in there. (Yes, I do know that actually getting the baby to sleep in the crib can be a challenge, but I can imagine, right?)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-11-22T05:14:00.001-08:00

Each year at work, all the therapists dress up in costumes the week before Halloween. It is just a fun activity to prepare us for the holidays to come. This year the speech department decided to pick a day and be smurfs. Well, what do you think? Not so bad for our small amount of pre-planning :-)

Winged Warriors

2011-11-22T05:05:00.001-08:00

Steven and I were able to head to the Buddy Walk to support Down Syndrome on a nice Sunday afternoon back in October. Family Connections does an awesome job gathering volunteers to set up fun events for the kids. It was fun to see all the supportive families and watch the kids (and adults) dance to music after the walk. Even Bailey dressed up in her wings for the occasion. Here is a picture of Cameron, our special buddy, with her mom Sharon (Steven's sister).

20 Weeks

2011-10-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yes...I decided to actually take a picture of my ~~belly~~ baby bump for the world to see. Here you go!

I had to take these on a tripod and the light was rather low, so sorry the quality isn't great.

Damascus, VA

2011-10-28T17:51:00.000-07:00

We Heather planned a nice little weekend trip to VA in the early part of October with some friends for some camping and down-hill bike riding. Well it was a nice little weekend with A LOT of adventures :-) It all started when the 4 1/2 hour car ride on Friday evening turned into a 6 hour car ride because the campsite we had reserved wasn't really a campsite at all. No worries...Josh and Mark came through for us and convinced some people to let us camp in there RV campground. We actually had a nice grassy area with two places for campfires, a covered picnic area, flush-able toilets, and hot showers. I think they did an awesome job! Fun times were had with great food, s-mores around the fire, a day of biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail, and fellowship with friends. Of course...I have pictures to share, so here you go!

Heartbeat

2011-10-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

At my second appointment, I heard the heartbeat :-) I recorded it so Steven could hear since he had to work that day. It was really cool. Doc says everything looks good so far! Next appointment will be the "big" ultrasound with even more pictures to share. Nope...we aren't finding out the gender. It is going to be a surprise to us and the whole world. We figure we can't change it and this will be a good experience for me as I will only be able to plan up to a certain point in regards to getting baby stuff ready....more about that later.

Sharing the News

2011-10-11T17:26:00.001-07:00

Steven and I went crib shopping, man those things are expensive for such a little baby to sleep in. We found one at Babies Furniture Plus Kids ~~in the ghetto~~ on Decker. It is an awesome store and we got some great ideas along with a crib and a mattress. The fun part was the set up and Bailey even helped, well really she just hid in the paper and chewed on the box. The crib is set up in the extra bedroom and we are going to leave the bed in there as well since we hope to continue to have guests come for visits once the baby arrives.

We also decided this would be a fun way to tell our family so my mom, sister, and her kids were planning a trip for the weekend of August 19th. I was going to get off work around 6:00 and the arrived at the house around 5:30 (this was the plan). I left a key outside and they found the crib...mission accomplished! When I got home, they all had shirts on with sayings on them. I know the picture isn't the greatest, but you get the point. I guess they had an idea that we might have some news to share....how did they know? It was still fun to share the news.

We spent some time on the lake on Saturday and both kids went tubing, it was fun to see their excited little faces! The plan was to wait another week before telling some of our friends, but with Kyson there, it was way more fun to tell them.
It went like this:

Me "Kyson, tell them what is at our our house."
Kyson "a baby's crib."

Me "Kyson, where is the baby?"

Then he pointed to my tummy.

It was great and just as if we had rehearsed the whole thing...which we had not I will assure you.

Steven's family came to dinner on Saturday night and we celebrated and shared our excitement some more. It is so much fun to tell people. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging through this whole process; a process that has really only begun.

Happy Birthday Cindy

2011-10-11T17:20:00.001-07:00

Well at least that is what we said about 50 times while spending the weekend in Asheville for her birthday on August 5th and 6th. Yep...the whole weekend with friends and we didn't spill the beans about the baby. I thought they would know for sure as much as I slept and as little as I ate. We went on some hikes, played some games, and ate ALL meals together crowded around a small picnic table on the porch. Fun time all weekend, just for Cindy!

Baby's First Photo

2011-10-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

I guess I should start the updates on what is really going on in our lives and why I have been MIA in the blog world for a while.....well I should say blog writing world because I am still viewing (yeah, really stalking) everyone else's blog these days.

Yep...we are having a baby :-)
Due date is March 15, 2012
Here is the first ultrasound picture taken on August 5th (don't think I will ever forget that appointment).

We saw the arms, legs, body, head, and even some small flutters of a heartbeat. Steven went to the appointment with me and was just as amazed as I was. I think I looked at those pictures about 100 times over the next few days trying to realize what was going on in my body. We are super excited and can't wait to see what God has in store for this little baby He is creating inside of me. Life is gonna change for sure and we are so excited!

Congratulations Katie and Nick

2011-10-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

In July, we decided to take another trip to Washington for the wedding ceremony for Nick and Katie. We got to know Katie really well while living in Stehekin (she is awesome) and decided Nick is great too! The wedding was amazing as they decorated the family farm for the ceremony. It was quite a lot of traveling to get there, but well worth it. We headed to Stehekin for a few days after the wedding since we were already on the west coast...can anyone believe I forgot to take pictures while we there? Yes, it is true, but probably the only 3 day span in our life that I haven't picked up a camera. I guess it really was a vacation.

Check out these awesome decorations from the wedding.

A few photos from the ceremony. My favorite is the one with matching umbrellas. It started ~~raining~~ pouring during the ceremony and everyone was soaked...but still smiling at the happy couple. I love the look of all the fun colors with different dresses on the bridesmaids and yes...everyone (everyone) had on boots for the ceremony.

A actually made this skirt just for the wedding and Steven even danced with me a time or two so I could twirl it around...so fun!

And there were pony rides too...well rides when they could get Patches to stop eating grass for a few moments.

Memorial Day

2011-10-11T16:39:00.001-07:00

I was actually working on Memorial Day, but we did have an awesome weekend at the Lake over the weekend. I even had a chance to do a little skiing on Sunday morning while it was still calm! Here are some photos from the fun times.

If you think there are more dogs in these photos than people, well you are thinking correctly. They were a lot of fun and served as our little entertainers for the weekend. (Yes I know these photos are way old and this post is way out of order...had it saved on the Ipad and forgot to upload...oops!)

5 Years Ago...

2011-09-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

we got married! Yes...6.3.06 was the date and it is hard to believe it was so long ago. The plan was to do something fun this year to celebrate and make it memorable, so we headed up to Ashville for the weekend to visit The Biltmore Estate. It was great to spend the day together thinking about all the things we have done in our first five years of marriage. It has been a blessing for sure and I wouldn't change a minute of it! Here are some fun pictures from the trip.

In case anyone is wondering, yes we did actually go in June on our anniversary, I am just really late at updates on the blog now :-) Better late than never right?

St. Augustine for the Weekend

2011-06-07T17:41:00.001-07:00

Welcome to St. Augustine read the large stone sign on the right side of the road. It was truly welcomed as we had been in the car for 5, no 6 hours. When we arrived at the Hutt house, dinner and our fun aunt and uncle were waiting for us. They really do live in an awesome house really close to the downtown area...take a look at this. Of course I had to include a picture of the famous tree in the yard as well.

After a tasty dinner, we all hopped in the Jeep for an evening tour of the area.

The buildings here are amazing and I was already planning out the photos I will take in the morning with my camera. The tour was complete with a lot of opportunities to watch people, admire old church buildings, listen to the ocean waves crash along the shore, smell the salt (and horses
from the carriage rides), and hear unique stories about the school.
The next morning started with a nice breakfast on the beach....no complaints here. I had an awesome omelet and Steven couldn't even finish all his toast.

After breakfast we headed for town to begin our walking tour. At this point, I will just let the pictures tell the story. You can see the fort, the churches, the houses, and the college downtown. We walked all day and had a great time.

Before heading back to the house for a nap, we stopped by the boat dock to visit with some of Uncle Danny's friends and they gave us a tour of their boat. It was very relaxing to sit on the boat and chat for a few minutes.

We enjoyed a nice dinner with seafood before heading to bed for the night. Our journey home started on Friday morning complete with a ferry ride and driving on the beach.

Thanks to the Huttos for an awesome weekend. Will we come back another weekend? We both say YES!
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Mother's Day

2011-05-29T18:29:00.001-07:00

Our day was spent with Stevens family in Orangeburg, only after his mom came to Columbia (well Lexington) to attend church with us in our new building for Radius. It was great to have her there!

For Mother's Day, we bought a new post and mailbox for his mom. Steven and Michael even went over and put it up for her that same day. The grandkids gave her a beautiful flower to plant at the bottom as well. Doesn't it look nice? Well apparently someone else was jealous so they knocked the whole thing down two weeks later, what a bummer! So back to Orangeburg again went Steven to fix it for his mom. Here are some other family pictures from the day.

Freezer Jam

2011-05-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

Steven absolutely loves freezer jam, especially strawberry. Before we moved back from WA a few years ago, he insisted that we purchase a 1/2 gallon container of it from the Stehekin Valley Ranch (I think they ordered it from Sysco) to transport home. Now, if you remember how the truck looked when we traveled back from WA, you would know that keeping that container cold all the way home, was a bit challenging. Really because we just didn't have room. Anyway, somehow we made it home and then Steven hid it in the bottom of my mom's freezer so no one would find it. When we moved back into our house on Harrison Road last summer, the freezer jam came too and he was oh so happy. Happy at least until it ran out around Christmas. So, I decided to try to make a little myself. I think it worked pretty well, but I did make a few changes to the recipe because it was too thin. Everyone that knows how to put jam on toast, would also know that if it is too thin, it falls off the edges and when you are Steven and your toast is prepared to perfection, that is just not acceptable.
The Recipe:

My suggestions:
Double the amount of strawberries to 4 cups. You might also want to drain off some of the liquid. Let them sit out for close to 48 hours, then shake them up before putting in the freezer. Option: use glass jars if you have them around your kitchen. My friend, Marcey, used glass jars last year and they were fine in the freezer. Just make you leave room at the top for the jam to expand.

Final Product:

A Little Time at the Lake

2011-05-26T04:36:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we celebrated the "May" birthdays at the lake with a lot of friends and great food, compliments of Katie and Casey. The thunderstorms hung out with us for a while right after noon, but then the sky cleared and the sun came through for the late afternoon. We had fun visiting with friends and sitting out on the dock. All the dogs were thrilled with the opportunity for swimming and so they jumped in the water over and over and over again.

Afternoon Adventure

2011-05-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has been nice this spring (nice=below 80 degrees and sunny), Steven and I have been enjoying our bikes again. Our recent rides have just been around town in different neighborhoods to look at houses. Are we planning a move? Not really, but isn't it always nice to look at what other options you might have? Just a few pictures getting ready for a bike ride.

Family

2011-05-06T20:17:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows that aging is part of living, but it can still be hard to watch at times. My grandfather, "Bodaddy" as the younger ones call him, has had Alzheimer's Disease for the last few years, and each year the disease takes away more and more from this amazing man. He still has a loving heart and gentle smile; even the disease can't take away these things. It also can't take away the memories we have as a family growing up with him and spending summers at the lake with him and my grandmother before she passed away years ago. Right now, he is living in a memory care facility and so we celebrated his 85th birthday there with the whole family. It was the first time some of them have seen him in 6 months, so I know he was excited; even if he couldn't find the words to express it. The innocence of the little ones, the great-grandchildren, revealed how we should all still see him and think of him, as a great man who would give anything for his family. For they don't see the disease, they just see the best grandfather any child could wish for. One that now lives in a "big house" with a lot of "friends". We could all learn a lot from these little ones as they share unconditional love that does not change with circumstances.

Climbing in Clemson

2011-05-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

The plan was to hang out at a real rock wall and do some climbing with our friends from Clemson; the weather didn't cooperate so we just "broke in" to the gym at the school and "borrowed" the wall there :-) Don't worry, we didn't really break anything and we left everything in better condition than we found it, just like my mom always said we should. We did have a great time with Shelby, Robert, Sarah, Alex, Mary Francis, Shane, and Heidi (the little one you will see getting an early start on the rock wall). Thanks for a fun weekend friends! Can you guess who is who from the back side??!! Yes..I know the pictures aren't super clear. I didn't have my nice camera, but wanted to document the fun anyway.

Puppy Pictures

2011-05-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

I know...I know...it has been A LONG TIME since I last posted. We have been busy with this thing called life and our new puppy. Don't worry, she does have a name, it is Bailey :-) She is about 6 months old now and still very much a puppy. She loves to sit at my feet and follow me around as I get ready in the morning, play fetch for Steven, tease the neighbor's dogs on a daily basis, and my least favorite thing: race in circles right through my garden. Anyway, here are some ~~recent~~ pictures I thought I would share.

One of my favorite puppy pictures. She likes a tennis ball, but she LOVES to plastic bottles.

The race track, also known as my garden.

Movie night and we all have our own chair! Well sorta, Steven and I share the couch.

Her first bath at the farm in Orangeburg, not her favorite thing at all!

A few curls after her bath

New Addition

2011-02-26T18:40:00.001-08:00

Steven and I have been planning to get a new dog...well guess what is sitting in my lap right now! We have another Boykin and it is a girl....no name yet though. Here is a quick picture I took in the car right after we picked her up. She has already been to supper club tonight and to Wal-Mart to get some dog food. She has already had a quick bath with the hose after she "made a mess" in her crate during dinner.

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People

2011-02-23T16:54:00.001-08:00

The real reason we went to visit Stehekin :-)

Our Stehekin family for the week at dinner time

Just some kids at game night

Cody giving a great back rub; you better get back soon Sam, he might take your place

Steven and his new friend Ray, "Steven, what are you doing?"

Riding horses with Katie

Chelsea thinks something is funny...

..and so does McKenna

Ray, the football star

Chelsea and Heidi, just hiking around

Dawn, McKenna (on her 1st birthday), and Ray

Fun with the Courtney family

Some famous celebrity that was hanging out there

Saying goodbye to Nick and Nancy

And us :-) There were others we enjoyed visits and chats with, just not everyone got a chance in front of the camera. It was a great trip and a very relaxing vacation, which we both needed. We miss everyone already and hope to visit again soon.

Places

2011-02-23T16:41:00.001-08:00

Here are some places we saw along the way.

Mt. St. Helens; just image it in your mind in the haze and clouds. That is what we did!

Snowy peaks along Lake Chelan

Hazard Creek

McGregor Mountain

Rainbow Falls and the new trail

Animals

2011-02-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

Just a few animals spotted during our travels.Can you see that elk? Nick spotted this cow in the park at Mt. St. Helens, so we hopped out of the car and ran up the hillside in hopes to get some more photos. No chance! We did see A LOT of elk herds though on the hillsides and even took a short "nature walk" to get a closer look, no luck again though.

A lion in action

A seal in the snow

Some kind of little deer I think

Trust me :-) Those white spots are mountain goats

Amber the cow! I fussed at Steven for taking a picture of Amber's "best side", but then I realized it really is her best side as we enjoyed milk from those udders all week long..and ice cream too!

Amber's calf

Matthew's bird, I think it is a parakeet

Tip the dog (I guess that is obvious)

Millhouse (or Outhouse as Steven called him) the cat

Now Mary says this is a hamster, but I told her it is just a rat with a short tail. What do you think? I guess it is only fair to show the cool video of this thing (whatever it is) eating grapes and storing them in his cheeks. Enjoy! Well I couldn't get the thing to load so I will try again another night.

Transportation

2011-02-23T15:41:00.001-08:00

Here are all the forms of transportation we used while traveling to and from Stehekin.

Our flight left from Columbia on February 4th in the early AM. We arrived in Seattle around 10:30 the same day! Boy oh boy..that was nice. The flights back, not so much! We left Wenatchee around 5:45 on Monday February 14th and arrived in Columbia on Tuesday February 15th.

Our little red rental car! It traveled the roads between Seattle and Rochester as we visited Katie, her parents, and Nick. Katie...if you are reading this. WE APPROVE! The red rental also served us well when we visited Mt. St. Helen's on Saturday with Katie and Nick. Due to the weather, the place was packed and we had trouble finding a parking spot...can't you tell?

The light rail train from the Seattle airport to the actual Amtrak station was super nice and clean too. I think this would be a fun way to travel to and from work!

Now, the bus wasn't so nice or so clean. Don't let the picture fool you! I borrowed this one from a website and actually we weren't supposed to take a bus at all, but the train was canceled, so on the bus we road from Seattle to Wenatchee on Sunday night.

And the Lady II took us up lake on Monday morning. Thanks to Chelsea, Nick, Nancy, and Mistaya for helping us with travel arrangements and giving us rides EVERYWHERE. Oh yeah..and Jake and Dawn too for the nice rig in Stehekin. :-)

On the Boat

2011-02-07T10:46:00.001-08:00

Here is a fun picture from riding horses yesterday. We had a great dinner with Chelsea and JB last night, followed by some awesome conversation time with Nick and Nancy. Now we are sitting on the boat headed up lake.

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Fun with Friends

2011-02-06T17:34:00.001-08:00

Our weekend was spent with Katie, her fiance Nick, and Katie's parents outside of Rochester. Katie was one of our adopted kids in Stehekin so the tables were turned as she cooked for us and even gave up her bed for us to sleep in. (Don't worry, she had another bed to sleep in at her parent's house.) Friday evening was filled with chit chat and an early bedtime for us. On Saturday we decided to venture out to Mt. St. Helens. Even though the viewpoint was closed for the season, we enjoyed the museum, elk sightings (to include running up a hillside to get a closer look), taking pictures of the mud flows, and walking along a few nature trails. On the way back to their farm, we had some tasty pizza. The evening was fun and relaxing with a few card games, some home made wine, and venison fajitas. A trail ride was arranged for this morning and the weather even cooperated. It was awesome to be back in the saddle! Our departure was around 12:00, so we said goodbye to our friends at Canterhill and made the trip back to Seattle. You see, our train was cancelled so now we sit (and Steven sleeps) on a bus on the way to Wenatchee to meet some friends. I must say a bus is roomier than a plane, but not as fast as a train. We should be headed up lake in the morning for our week in Stehekin :-) Just a side note.....most of these pictures were taken with my phone, so please excuse the poor quality.

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Seattle, WA

2011-02-04T12:39:00.001-08:00

We arrived around 11:00 here and the weather is well..rainy, cloudy, and cool; just like in SC. The flight was great and a cheap rental car was waiting for us when we arrived. Alamo is the way to go..less than $100 for three days and that is with basic insurance coverage. Steven and I tried to remember "what Dave Ramsey says" about rental car insurance. Anybody remember for future reference? So here we are in our little rental car.

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Step One...Atlanta

2011-02-04T04:39:00.001-08:00

All our bags were packed last night and we were awake and ready at 4:30 this AM. Our flight was at 6:30 from Columbia and we made it to ATL without any delays! Should be in Seattle in hours.

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The Countdown is On

2011-01-29T09:11:00.002-08:00

Yep...we are going to Stehekin!! Don't worry mom, we do have return flights as well. Steven and I are excited to pack our bags and head out west next weekend to visit with friends and hopefully enjoy some snow. I promise to post updates with pictures when we get home...in hopes to continue with updates on a more frequent basis during 2011.

E-mail Craziness

2010-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone...For everyone that hasn't already heard..we didn't travel out of the country for the holidays. Just wanted to say sorry to all who received the email and yes that means someone hacked into my email account and they even changed the password so I can't get back into it for now. I have been working on it all week, but nothing looks promising at this point. Of course since my email is linked to my Facebook..I can't get into that either! So, if you need to get in touch with me, you can use my new email at heidi5282@gmail.com...(yes I know it was a hotmail account before, but they are still giving me trouble...so g-mail it is :-)) and phone calls are always welcome. If you have a few extra minutes to send me an email so I can rebuild my contact list that would be great. Hope you have a Happy New Year!

Camping with the Taylors

2010-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

Yep..time for another camping trip with friends, this time on Lake Jocassee. We had a great time riding around in the boat and checking our waterfalls. As the day progressed on Saturday, we scoped out a campsite and set up tents for the evening. The temps were nice and cool...perfect sleeping weather as we like to say. It was fun to ride around in the boat as well and enjoy the weekend on the water.

Camping with the Kirklands

2010-10-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

We planned a camping trip with our friends in early September. The weather was great as far as temperature, but then it started to rain a little, then rain a lot while we were there. Steven and I ended up sleeping in the car the second night and their tent leaked, but everyone was fine once we started riding around on Sunday to view the waterfalls. We also went to the fish hatchery on Saturday to feed the fish and go on a nature walk. The original plan was to pick blueberries, but we decided against that because of the wet weather.

Checking out Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls

This monkey kept getting loose the whole time

Time for a family photo

And a great waterfall

Say cheese!

Time to eat

And then time for dessert

Just hanging out after breakfast

Going for a walk and Steven decided to attach the entire snack bag in case he got hungry

Yep..we were there too!

Promised Kitchen Photos

2010-10-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Here they are! The finished photos of the kitchen on a super clean day :-) We still need to touch up some paint and put sealant on the tile floors, but everything else is done. Oh yeah...and there is that vent that blows hot air on my feet when I am cooking instead of out and under the house. Steven is so excited about getting that done. I guess all projects take longer than expected, but I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.

The Kitchen Is Complete

2010-08-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hope you have some time to flip through the last few blog posts....but you can tell from the title that the news is good...the kitchen is done! As I sit here at the bar, I am watching dinner cook on the stove and Steven is sitting on the couch reading his book. We now have internet and I can keep you updated on our life again. I will share pictures of the completed project soon I promise, but you MUST look through the step-by-step photos first that are in the previous blogs. You need a reason to come back to the blog, right? I mean now you know what we have been up to so our next few weeks could be pretty boring after looking through the past 6. The whole project has been fun and quite exhausting. We now have some plans for fun trips over the next few weeks. We even took a mini-trip last weekend to Asheville to go canoeing on the Tuckaseegee River with some friends. It was great fun and the weather on Sunday was perfect! I tried to take some photos to share, but our little camera decided to have a bad day. Time to get a waterproof case for the Rebel I guess. You can try to see some photos here but I don't know how long they will be on the site.

A Day of Relaxation

2010-08-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure this was the first actual day we took a break from working on the house (which if you have looked through all these posts you will recall the project started in mid-June). Steven and I visited with some friends at their lake house on Lake Murray. We took a ride in the boat after going to church and just relaxed. It was nice to think about something other than our house...and nice to be able to enjoy our couch when we got home.

Weekend #6

2010-08-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

I am starting to understand why people say once you move back into a house while you are are still working on it, you never really finish it. We are both determined to finish this thing, but man oh man it is taking forever. Things are coming together though and it is looking like a kitchen :-) All appliances are in and in working order. We are excited to have some friends over for small group this week to see all our progress. It is fun to share completed projects with others; somehow makes all the work and effort worth while when you can start to enjoy it. On Saturday, Steven and I headed to Orangeburg to visit with his family over lunch and load up the rest of our furniture from the storage unit. It turns out, there wasn’t much furniture, just a lot of boxes and stuff! We also bought a couch and decided we would be making several trips to Goodwill in the near future. Or...you can just come by and take some stuff home if you would like. Anytime would be fun with us!!

Weekend #5

2010-08-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

Flowers, flowers, and flowers we did plant! My mom came to visit from NC and we headed to Lowe’s to buy some pretty plants. It was so much fun to visit with her and have her all to myself…no offense to Heather, Kyson, or Sayla :-) We spent a lot of time chatting in our living room seated on mix-match furniture, but she’s my mom so she didn’t mind. On Saturday morning, we found a new friend/employee at Lowe’s that was equipped with a mark-down gun in hand. She willingly put $1 stickers on almost all the plants we purchased, even when the original price was set at $4-$6. It was great let me tell you. Mom and I picked up a few lights for the kitchen, some tile, and window treatments while there as well. (All those things are still in the closet though, except for the tile). Most of the day Saturday was spent playing in the dirt and the yard looks oh-so-good. We even did a little raking and tree trimming in the background….notice I didn’t mention anything about cutting the grass. I am pretty sure our neighbors are getting frustrated with the jungle that is growing in the backyard. Oh well…it will continue to grow until we get to cutting it. Steven worked on the house all weekend and finished putting the baseboards and crown molding up in the kitchen. He also continued some wiring projects and work on the cabinets. Yes…he had to re-hang some cabinets that fell off when we put the handles on…silly right? The weekend was great and I truly enjoyed mom’s company. Thanks so much for the visit! I even put the fourth coat of paint on the cabinets in the kitchen after mom left and had some time to catch up on laundry before the weekend was over. Oh yeah…Steven also finished the gas lines for the stove so we had a fully functioning kitchen this weekend. It was nice to cook a few meals for mom while she was here.

Time for Tile

2010-08-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

A decision had to be made…time to get someone else to lay the tile. It has just taken too long to get things done and we are ready to have our house back so we can enjoy it and get some sleep during the week! A friend came over and gave us an estimate to retile the kitchen and bathroom, so we decided to go for it. He came on Wednesday and finished on Friday morning. It looks great and the price was reasonable for all the leveling work that was needed. The only surprise was when we came home on Thursday night and there was no toilet in bathroom (obviously because he was working on there). The water wasn’t working either and I couldn’t walk on the floor in the kitchen. Time to move out again…but just for one night this time! So, I pulled together some clothes, put the crock pot with our chicken dinner in the fridge, decided on a dinner from Chick-Fil-A, and let Steven make some phone calls to reserve a one night stay. Heather (our old hotel manager…by hotel I mean her house) already had a guest so we called Gina :-) She willingly obliged to let us stay in her guest room and she even let us use her internet….nope, we still don’t have that luxury. It was great to stay with her and be able to catch up on things since we haven’t had much time to visit since we have been back from WA. We slept great too and woke up Friday just in time for me to go to work and Steven to go to work on the house…you know, his typical Friday these days.

Little Painters

2010-08-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Friends are such a blessing, especially when I, yes I, painted the whole kitchen and living room by myself. The definition of painting for us includes two coats of paint on the walls, paint on ceilings and trim, and paint in all the closets. Some of the girls came to help me one night in the guest bedroom and I snapped a few pictures. Thanks Gina, Jazz, and Heather! We also convinced a few people from our small group to assist the next night so we made even more gains on the painting scale. I am pretty sure I would be happy if I didn’t have to paint another thing for years…of course I am looking at the front door (from the kitchen :-)) as I type this and realize that it needs to be re-painted as well as the frame for the screen door…..will this re-model project ever end??

Weekend #4

2010-08-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Let the painting continue and oh it did!! The cabinet doors arrived and I had the pleasure of putting three coats of paint on them before they were hung on the frames. This was a BIG weekend for us because we also had granite counter tops installed, a sink, new plumbing for the sink (which means it works!), and new wiring for the oven (which also means it works as shown in the photo). While it was a big weekend for us, it was also a long one. At this point, even though only four weekends have been used towards this project, I should mention that along with each weekend has been small tasks that occur every night of the week. The finished look was starting to sink in though with the counter tops on and cabinet doors to be put in place within days made us oh-so-excited.

Weekend #3

2010-08-29T14:44:00.001-07:00

Time to move! Yep, we moved back into the Harrison Road house, bought a mattress, painted, painted, painted, jacked up the house (again), replaced faucets in the bathroom, and cleaned our old apartment. Seems like a simple list right? Well it took us three whole days. By Sunday night, we were sleeping on our new mattress in our old house without a kitchen. Home sweet home!!

We Have Cabinets

2010-08-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

I think that is still what they are called when there are no doors or counter tops there, right? These pictures were snapped right before we drove to NC for the 4th of July weekend to spend some time relaxing at the beach. I had to BEG and PLEAD with Steven to take some time away from working on the house to get him to go. We did pick up a bedroom set while we were there, so he agrees that is was a worthwhile trip. It was nice to spend time with my mom, Steve, and granddaddy. We even saw Heather, Kip, Kyson, and Sayla for a few hours while we were at the beach. I think a better title for this post would be “shopping for appliances” because that was all Steven did while we were at the beach. I mean, he looked online, went to Lowe’s, Sears, Home Depot, and any other store that looked like it might carry appliances. See, before we left to go to the beach, went by a local appliance store. They had several items in stock that would work for our “new” kitchen, but nothing that we really wanted to fit in the new cabinets being built. We found out the hard way the most drop in stoves and wall ovens must be ordered. No big deal, right? Well it is a big deal when delivery takes 2-3 weeks and the guy building the cabinets needs them to finish the cabinets. Of course, we did end up figuring something up, but Steven lost a lot of sleep over it, which means I did too. If you ever need to upgrade appliances though, Steven is the one to talk too! He has read every review on every brand there is and he knows the prices too. We ended up with a GE electric convection wall mount (or under the counter in our case) oven and Jenn Air drop in gas stove with a down draft. Have no fear…pictures of them will come soon!

Weekend #2 (yes this means there are more to come)

2010-08-05T18:33:00.003-07:00

I started to partake in the fun….which it WAS still fun at this point. The plan for the weekend was to complete some re-wiring and get most of the sheet rock hung…MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. After the weekend was done, we had a carpenter start on Monday to build the frames for the cabinets and some guys come by to mud, sand, mud, sand, mud, sand, and I think mud, then sand the sheet rock. If anyone ever needs Michael’s help with anything, he works for milkshakes and brownies. Just keep a steady supply coming and you should be good for a few weekends of work.

A Few Family Photos

2010-08-05T18:33:00.001-07:00

Had to share some photos from this weekend of birthday fun. Who can believe Sayla is 1? Here is the cake smash to prove it and some photos of cute Ky as well. Do you think there is going to be any musicians in this family? I think so :-) Kyson also wanted to show off all of Sayla's new hair clips. And yes I mean all of them in his hair at once. It started when I said "hey Kyson..come over here" and then he continued to say "one more Aunt Heidi" as the attention turned from Sayla to him. I think he was satisfied with his plan. If you are wondering, that is a tomato Sayla is eating. It was her first choice for a snack after she had already had two whole birthday cakes (one for the party and one for the smash).

Let the Construction Begin

2010-08-05T18:28:00.001-07:00

So, while I was visiting with family in NC to celebrate Sayla’s first birthday (and watch her take her first steps), Steven was at our house with Michael tearing up things. Yes…I do literally mean tearing up things. He started by taking out our chimney, which is a very dirty, long, hot, and tedious project especially when you are doing it in the summer in SC. Anyway….the point of the story is: remodeling on our kitchen officially began at this point. When I left for the weekend, we had four walls in the kitchen, when I came home, we had 2 1/2. It looked amazing amazing and so open. Michael came to help Steven on Saturday and Sunday tear down walls and frame out the new openings. They worked long and hard and made a lot of progress on the first weekend. While they were playing…I mean working hard…I was spending time with my family! I thought I would share a few pictures of the construction zone. Hope you enjoy!

Moving Time...

2010-07-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

is coming again...this weekend to be exact! Just thought I would play a little catch-up (even though it will be short) and share a fun picture. This pretty much explains what we have been up to over the past 4 weeks. Yep...we are remodeling our kitchen in the Harrison Road house so we can move back in. In addition to refinished floors, new windows, and a fresh coat of paint on EVERYTHING! For those of you that never saw the house before, there used to be a wall where Steven is standing, plus the large "hole" going into the living room wasn't there. Yes...our refridgerator is currently in that living room and that is basically our only kitchen appliance that is functioning at this point. I will post more pictures later to show the progression, but thought I would share this one for now. Here's to happy moving!! Anybody need a washer or stove? Let me know 'cause we need to get rid of our old fully functioning ones.

Photography "Stuff"

2010-06-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool give-a-way for aspiring photographers. Thought I would pass along the info in case you would like to enter. It is a way to win posing guides, plus it gives you some links to an awesome photographer in VA.

Gorman Girls Re-Unite

2010-05-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

I went to Raleigh to visit with my old collage roommates this weekend....but first I saw Chrissy, my best friend from childhood. It was great to see her and her beautiful daughter, Mara. Here is a picture of the girls hanging out :-)

Saturday was filled with funny moments and laughter surrounding these cute girls...oh wait...I mean the two little girls below although I must say the four of us are still a good looking group :-). Can you tell which one is "little Shane" and which one is "little Craig"? It was so fun to see Cheri, Emily, Anna, and their little ones (including little Laurel on the way). Thanks for coming together girls so we could hang out for the weekend. Hope to see you all again soon!

Weekend in the Mountains

2010-05-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Our small group planned a camping trip to Pisgah National Forest the last weekend in April. Some of the guys went early and sent up an awesome campsite since rain was in the forecast. When the girls (and John Todd) arrived, we were able to enjoy the fire and make s'mores. We all slept well and decided to take down camp the next morning since the sky was quickly filling with clouds. We went on a quick hike that morning and then headed over to Catalooche Valley to see the elk. Michael didn't believe us so we waited for them to come out and they did, even though it was raining. The next stop was the Thompson residence in Asheville to visit with John Michael and Stacey and Bethany was there visiting from Stehekin. We enjoyed learning about their sheep and of course Stacey fed us an amazing homemade pizza! She is such a good cook; thanks for having us! Oh yeah and we couldn't leave until the guys played with the battery operated cars out in the driveway. The weekend was tons of fun with lots of time spent with friends....and of course pictures to prove it.

Lake Tillery

2010-05-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Our friends Michael and Katie invited us up to Lake Tillery near Charlotte back in April. It was fun to relax in the sun and play on the boat. The weather was great and we had plenty of sunshine to enjoy. It was a great weekend away for lots of relaxation and great food. Katie and I were very excited that we planned and prepared all the meals for the weekend even going to the grocery store :-) I tell you...that is what coupon shopping with do for your closet...keep you well stocked and prepared. If you need some info on coupons, check out this website www.southernsavers.com for some great tips. Here are some fun photos from our weekend at the lake. Katie and I took turns skiing, Michael showed his talent on the wake board, and of course, Steven could be found driving the boat.

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

SO....yes...these posts are a little out of order....but I wanted to get them all posted tonight :-) Just one from some family time with Steven's family on Mother's Day. It was great to eat together and share some presents.

Here are some photos of my family from earlier this Spring.

Congratulations Justin and Paige!

2010-05-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

One couple from our small group got married last weekend (May 15th) and we all attended to show support while enjoying the festivities! They had a beautiful ceremony with amazing food to follow at the reception. The guys were certain the wedding cake was tasty enough to feed to celebrities :-) Here is a group photo to show off the happy couple and some of our other friends. After the wedding, we headed back to our apartment to look at some photos. You can see our cute little place is cozy and a fun place to hang out with friends!

Relaxin' on the Lake

2010-05-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

Birthday bash on the boat! It was great fun to spend my actual birthday on May 2 out on the lake with a few friends. We brought the boat out of storage for the first time since our return from Washington. It cranked right up and after a little cleaning, we were all ready to go! Thanks to everyone who joined us for dinner on Saturday for my birthday as well and to Katie for making awesome cupcakes with lots and LOTS of chocolate icing just the way I like it.

Fifth time worked...you can see both of our faces :-)

Michael and Katie soaking up some sun!

Group photo!

Blue skies and sunshine in the background!

Time for An Update

2010-03-20T16:48:00.005-07:00

Yes...yes...and yes...I know that a blog update has been long over due. So, I decided to knock it all out at once. Make sure you flip through the last two pages or so of posts as I have updated everything since Christmas. Thought it would be nice to fill our blog buddies in on what else is going on in our lives. We found a small basement apartment to live in for the next few months while back in Columbia. It is one bedroom and one bathroom and super cute; even with our mix-n-match furniture. A new small group was started with our church, Radius, and we joined a few weeks ago. A blessing is a good word for the group as we have made some amazing friends in other married couples to hang out with on the weekends and share the day-to-day happenings of this life we live. Steven is back to work at Middling Cotton Gin in St. Matthews so he still has the same 45 minute commute each way, just as before. I am back at the hospital working with kids 3 1/2 days per week, along with about 6 home health kids on the side, and a few hours working for USC Speech and Hearing Center on a short term basis. My photography business is really picking up, which is great, so make sure you keep an eye out for new photos here. The most exciting part about the new pictures you will find there is that they are taken with my new camera; it is a used 5D and I am in love. It is a few steps up from my Rebel and is in amazing condition. While I am mentioning recent purchases, Steven and I also bought another car. It is a 2004 4-Runner that we LOVE. We were looking for one over the last 2 months and came across a great deal, so we jumped on it. It is a joy to drive and we are loving it. Right now I drive it to and from work while Steven drives the car, so the plan is to sell the truck. Let us know if you are interested. Otherwise, our time is spent hanging out together in the evenings and trying to find outside activities for the weekends. We have put the plan to purchase land on hold for now while we try to determine what our 3-5 year plan looks like. No clue what it is at this point, but we'll keep you posted when we know.

Elloree Trials

2010-03-20T16:48:00.003-07:00

Today, yes today, (which means I am actually caught up on "blogging") we went to the horse races with some friends from our small group. They are super fun and the weather was amazing. We had a chance to set up our "tailgate" beside Steven's sister so we could hang out with them some as well. The food was amazing, the people were entertaining to watch, and the horse races were...well fast! Check out the play-by-play of the horse race and our fun pictures from the day. It was a ton of fun...thanks for coming Michael and Katie and bringing the brownies...they were so super tasty.

Family Time in NC

2010-03-20T16:48:00.001-07:00

Earlier this Spring, we had a chance to visit my family in NC. The family dinner was scheduled at my sister's house, so all the members of my mom's family came there. It was great to see Kyson and Sayla as well as my granddaddy. I just included pictures of the young and old as the connection between the two are amazing. Granddaddy's mind is fading more and more as each day passes, yet these kids truly made him smile so big his face was full of light. If you get a chance, please add him to your prayer list, along with support for my mom. She has been assisting with care for him and will continue to as long as he is here with us on Earth. It has been trying on her, but she will do it as long as needed to spend as much time with him as God will permit. Thanks in advance and enjoy these "generational" pictures. I hope to visit them again in the near future so I can capture more moments like these.

First we are children to our parents, then parents to our children, then parents to our parents, then children to our children. ~Milton Greenblatt

Girls Weekend in Asheville

2010-03-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

One of our friends, Alexis, is getting married in a few weeks so some of her bridesmaids planned a weekend of fun at a mountain house in Asheville. It was great to spend time with them all and celebrate the upcoming marriage of Alexis and Kirby. We had some great meals, lots of a movie time, funny moments between the girls, and a hike during the break from rain showers. Just thought I would share a few photos of the weekend fun.

Let it Snow

2010-03-20T16:00:00.001-07:00

It started snowing on Feb 12th in Columbia and continued through most of the night. We decided to wake early on Saturday for a drive to Orangeburg to see Sharon's kids play in the snow. You can see a picture of our truck below and the house we were staying in for the first 2 months we were back from WA; it belongs to our dear friend Heather. It took a while to get to O-burg as the roads were a little icy, especially on the overpasses indicated by cars on both sides of the road that spun out after hitting the ice at high speeds. Later in the day, we headed to Charleston for the Southeast Wildlife Exposition to spend some time together for Valentine's Day Weekend. We had a blast checking out the exhibits and zoo animals at an afternoon show. The preferred event of the day for spectators was the dock dogs competitions, which we were fans of as well. It was also neat to see lots of Boykin Spaniels around which reminded us of our dear old friend Lady. At the end of the day, we walked along the waterfront for a bit near the battery while the sun was setting before driving back to Columbia for the night. It was a fun weekend and a mini-getaway for us :-)

Just Hanging Around

2010-03-20T15:59:00.002-07:00

Just a few pictures from a birthday gathering for Gina and Mark. Cookie cake compliments of Heather and sampled before candles were lit. Why waste hot air to blow the candles out if the cake is no good, right? Well this cake was amazing and loved by all! It has been fun to visit with old friends while back in Columbia, when we can find spare time in busy schedules :-)

Happy New Year

2010-03-20T15:59:00.001-07:00

Our New Year was spent in Saluda, NC at an awesome mountain house belonging to friends Laura and Ed King from Florida. Mom and Steve haven known them for a while and we have met them a few times over the years as well. It was a great weekend of relaxation complete with evenings by the fire, a drive to view an awesome waterfall, lunch in Saluda, and an oyster roast before the visit was over. Thanks so much Laura and Ed for your hospitality!

Christmas Summary

2010-01-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

I do really plan to keep this blog up-to-date, even though we are back in SC. Just thing it will be fun for friends and for us to "scroll" back through at some point. We had a great Christmas with a few days spend at my mom's house in NC. Heather's kids were so cute and provided entertainment for us throughout the the week. Kyson received a toy Gator and LOVED it. They also have new hats for the winter...any guesses on who made those? I insisted they open that before the gator so they could where them for the pictures riding the gator. We had our normal Christmas Eve meal, with just one change...steak instead of venison...oh yeah...and regular cabbage instead of red cabbage. On Christmas Day we went to my mom's brothers house and spent time with the Naylor family. On Sunday, we headed to Orangeburg for a BBQ lunch and exchanging of gifts with Steven's family. The holidays were great and we enjoyed all the family time. Not too many photos to share...but here are a few :-)

New Address

2009-12-13T17:52:00.001-08:00

Heidi and Steven Bozard
P O Box 2734
Columbia, SC 29202

Kyson's Second Birthday

2009-12-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

My family celebrated Thanksgiving on November 21st so everyone could attend. The day before, Kyson rode my horse with me for the first time. He was a little timid at first and a little intimidated by Sam when we went to catch him in the pasture. He quickly warmed up to the idea though and was thrilled to ride bareback around the yard with me. Heather has those pictures on her camera though so I will have to get some to add at Christmas. I do, however, have some photos from his second birthday cake and presents....we celebrated after Thanksgiving so the whole family could participate. It was super cute to see him playing his guitar. After the family left, he would stand up on the fireplace hearth while playing and singing will all the energy a two year old boy could possible have (and if you have been aournd 2 year olds recently, that is a lot of energy). We think he might be on his way to being a musician someday. Sayla also had her first bite of "real food" during our meal and Kyson was proud to be the one to feed her. She was excited to eat some dressing and potatoes...small quantities of course :-)

National Parks

2009-12-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

On the way back from Washington, we were able to make a few stops to site see along the way. The first place we visited was Arches National Park, which was really neat! Timing worked well for us that day as we were able to arrive right as the park opened. The light was perfect on some of the arches and we drove around to see quite a few of them. It was a neat place to visit. The second park we saw was called Mesa Verde. It snowed the night before so there weren't too many tourists around :-) Some of the sites were closed as well, but we did tour one cliff dwelling called the Spruce Tree House and another dwelling called Far View (or at least I think if I remember right). It was neat to see how those people built homes and lived off the land. Just thought I would share some of the photos and sorry they are kinda out of order. I am a little tired of being on the computer because I have been processing A LOT of photos recently. Just wanted to keep up with the blog as our life continues.

The Truck

2009-12-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

So I promised friends in Stehekin I would post a picture of all the things we fit in our truck (this is for you Monica) and here it is. We only had to leave behind two Rubbermaid tubs and two plastic crates and about four cardboard boxes. Now..Steven had that truck packed like a jigsaw puzzle so when we camped...all things had to be returned to their original location. We did fit all the things in it though and here is a picture of it all packed at Arches National Park.

Photos By Heidi

2009-11-20T18:03:00.001-08:00

I have finally put the finishing touches on my blog with some updated pictures from Stehekin and some pictures of cute little Sayla :-) www.photosbyheidibozard.blogspot.com. I will put it on the side with other links and do my very best to keep it updated this year as I take more photos. Please pass along the link to others and leave comments if you have trouble viewing the photos. I did a little html work on the site and I am of cousre still working on my skills in that department. Hope your enjoy!

Numbers

2009-11-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share a few numbers from our trip to give you a little entertainment for the day. We are currently at my mom's house and the plan for the day is a little bit of unpacking and reorganizing all the STUFF we have in our truck. Of course, if one has ever seen Steven pack a car, you may already know that is a very slow and meticulous process. Well I am learning today that the unpacking part is about the same :-) So, I thought I would post a little while he unpacks a little. I am guessing I will have time to post all things from our trip, finish updating my photo blog (will add a link here soon), and create an information letter for holiday photo sessions. WoW...sounds too productive to me so I might have to spend some of my time in the pasture with my horse Sam :-) Anyway...back to some numbers from our trip...

3466 - # of miles we drove

3 - lbs of peanut M&Ms we ate (Thank you Katie!)

210 - gallons of gas our truck consumed

2.55 - average price per gallon.....much, much, much cheaper than our trip from East to West

6 - fast food places we visited

15 - number of times we heard the song "15" by Taylor Swift on the radio

1 - night in a hotel

5 - new toys Steven would like to purchase within the next 6 months that I was priveleged to hear about at least 12 times :-) - gun, truck, boat, jeep, & dog....who needs a house right?

13 - states we have been in within the past 7 days - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina (ok...I know we aren't there yet, but will be soon!)

2 - average cups of coffee Steven drank each morning

4 - days we ate sandwiches for lunch

Okay....I think that is all for now...might add some later but I must assist with the unpacking I have decided if we are going to get it completed today!

Conetoe, North Carolina

2009-11-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well...we made it!! All the way to NC and arrived tonight around 7:30 Eastern time to my mom's farm. The trip went well with nice weather (except for snow in Texas...when does it snow there?) and some wind in Oklahoma. I will post some photos later and a few "funnies" from the trip...just wanted to let our Stehekin friends know we are home and miss them already!

Cortez, Colorado

2009-11-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

Travel time is going well for us! The weather has been great and we spent the morning in Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah. All the other places we wanted to stop didn't work out...we would arrive just as the places were closing for the day. Camping has been our choice for accommodations, but not for tonight as we couldn't find any campgrounds! We drive around for 30 minutes outside of Mesa Verde (a National Park we will visit in the morning) and every campground was closed. It is also snowing a little so we are fine with a hotel :-) A nice cozy one for an affordable price! Just wanted to give an update since we have Wi-Fi here. Should be home in a few days!

Saying Goodbye

2009-11-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

So, today is the day we leave . The house is all packed up, Steven is draining the water, and I am waiting to vacuum the floors. Our last few days here have been a great end to our time as we have visited with friends and enjoyed reminiscing about the hikes we have enjoyed here. Many memories have been made in the place....ones that will never be forgotten. A few tears have been shed as this time is mixed with excitement and sadness. The people here create a wonderful community that we have come to love and one that won't be replaced or recreated anywhere else we go. The scenery is a daily remember of God's love for us and all his amazing creations we are blessed with. Just took this picture of the snowy peaks and calm lake before packing up the camera. Colorful leaves on trees can even be seen along the road as it winds up the valley along the lake. Until we come again...goodbye Stehekin!

Loading Rocks on the Barge

2009-11-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

Apple Butter

2009-11-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday and Friday, I made apple butter with fresh apples from the orchard. I did have to borrow a few canning supplies (thanks to Dawn for the canning pot, Betty for the crock-pot, and Diane for the masher) to complete the process. It was quite fun and the house smelled great for three days. Now that I think about it...would have been nice to take a few more pictures to show the whole process, but since my hands were covered in apple puree, probably better that I left the camera in the other room.

Photography Project - Part 2

2009-11-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

In order for the kids to practice what was learned about Rule of Thirds in the classroom, I went on their trip to the orchard to make apple cider. The plan was for each child to take a few photos with my camera for later review at school. They were "supposed" to use the rule of thirds in each photo...some did and some didn't :-) Either way, the day was fun and the kids were very careful with my camera. Most of the photos were great as well and something each one was proud of. Cider making is an exciting process and one all the kids enjoy. You can see parts of the process in the photos below and some were even taken by the kids. Thanks Ron for taking the other photos for me to share!

Photography Project - Part I

2009-11-10T15:45:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had the awesome opportunity to share some knowledge about photography with the kids at the Stehekin School. I loved every minute of it as these kids are truly amazing and so much fun to teach. Now, I am sure they have their moments, but they were kept to a minimum for me. I briefly shared some terminology relating to cameras and then presented some information on 'Rule of Thirds'. Each child brought in pictures from home for the project, so we made grids with paper and string so they could see if their pictures followed the rule. It was great fun to outline the steps for the task and allow the children to share what they saw in their own pictures. The morning went by quickly and when I asked one of the kids later if they enjoyed the information, the response was "Well, you taught right through snack time and no one even noticed! Snack time is the most important part of our day so I think you must have done a great job." Of course, I smiled and tucked away that thought for later.

Leaving our Little Cabin

2009-11-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

So I just realized that I haven't posted a photo of the house we live in...yes..the one we are about to move out of. I was out the other evening walking around with my camera as a full moon lit up the sky. I really liked this picture of our house so I thought I would share :-) The lights on upstairs are in the closet/bedroom area. The kitchen is in the back and the living room in front. It is a great little log cabin with lots of character! Most already know that we are headed back to SC and now we have set a leaving date. Of course, things are always subject to change, but we are putting our stuff...somehow we have accumulated A LOT...on the barge on Tuesday (Nov. 10th) and then riding the boat out on Wednesday (Nov.11th). The plan is to pack our truck in Chelan on Wednesday afternoon and start traveling on Thursday (Nov. 12th). I will let you do a little math to figure out when we'll hit east coast time...just know if takes 5 -6 days to get there if we site see just a little :-) See you there!

Tumwater Bridge

2009-11-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

Steven has been hauling rock and rigging rocks for the past two week as work for the Tumwater bridge project. The bank supporting one end of the bridge has been washing away and they are using rocks to build it back up. All the rocks were hauled up lake from Chelan on the barge, transferred to dump trucks, and carried up the road for the project. Just thought I would post a few pictures since it has been consuming a lot of Steven's time recently.

Community

2009-11-06T13:27:00.001-08:00

A favorite for us in Stehekin is hanging out with the awesome members of this community! On Sunday night, Jake and Dawn (and Ray and Baby) had us over for dessert and popcorn. It was great fun to spend time with friends and over some great food too! Everyone lives so close in Stehekin we see our friends on a regular basis, especially in the Fall and Winter when work schedules are more laid back. So..here we have from left to right...Chelsea, JB, Ray, Jake, Dawn, Heidi, Reed, and Steven. We are going to miss you all and hope to keep in touch forever with lots of visits in the future :-)

Happy Halloween

2009-11-06T13:25:00.001-08:00

It is an annual tradition in Stehekin for the kids to make game booths and overdose on candy at the Fall Festival for Halloween. We were able to go this year and had a blast! Chelsea and I dressed up as "injured" rock climbers....a few falls were the list of our concerns though as we were tied together all evening. Steven went in his park ranger attire recently acquired at the local mall (aka compactor). It was great fun to play games and watch the kids in costumes. The night concluded around a fire outside with the local school teacher reading stories to everyone.

Farewell to the Fjords

2009-10-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

The rain sounded on our metal roof all through the night and continued to echo around us as the alarm sounded at 5:00 am; the second time it sounded that morning. The first time was at 4:00am and signaled Steven to get up to feed the horses that were in the corrals at Purple Point, a fenced in area just a few hundred yards from our house. Today was going to be the day they left on the barge headed towards Manson for the winter and a typical barge day it was; cold and wet. We both got dressed and ate a quick breakfast before bundling up and heading to their corral. Our plan was to catch them all, tie them together, and have them at the barge loading area by 6:15. Most of them still had shoes on from the last few packing trips and those shoes needed to be pulled before they went on the barge. So, rain still coming down, I grabbed the wet halters and lead lines and climbed the fence to start the process. As I lifted their heads from the few remaining hay piles to slide their furry noses in the halters, I reminisced about all the fun I had with these animals over the summer. Each horse has so much personality and character that played a part in the stories created over the summer. I realized this may be the last time I ever see some of the guys...ever. I moved from horse to horse, as Steven did the same, to ensure they all had halters on. We both worked quietly and I think both realized our time in Stehekin was coming to an end as different parts of our experience were ending as the weeks rolled by. Then we started tying tail knots. Once we had two strings, we lead them down to the road and walked along the pavement towards the barge. Their is something about the sound of metal shoes clinking on the road; it is a sound I won't forget. The horses were tied to trees and trailers as they waited to have their shoes removed before loading onto the barge. Now this is an exciting time for them as winter is here and work is over for the season so of course each one willingly loaded on and locals helped tie them up to prepare for departure. I stood and watched as the barge pulled away, the sun just starting to light up the sky, mist rising from the water, and rain still trickling down. There is just something about this herd I will never forget, so my goodbyes go to (in no particular order):
Leroy - the cute little mustang always ready for some attention and a chance as a lead horse
Trymm - a true Fjord ready to work and get down to business, no time for playing around
Domino - the cow, I mean horse, that was burdened with all the "healthy" riders this summer
Bute - the lead pack horse of choice and Cragg's riding horse for many pack trips this summer
Rosy Bay Maverick - a newbie to the herd and without a name, so we gave him three
Vegar - a riding and pack horse with one awesome mane making the other horses jealous
Axle - a beautiful horse to all with a nicker ready to share anytime you walked into the corral
Guri - a great mare that never missed a beat, willing and ready for any rider that approached
Biscuit (aka Houdini) - great for kids and a master of making cute faces to get some extra grain
Jaws - a smart horse that preferred leading pack strings on trails than day rides to the lake
Espen - solid as a rock and able to pack anything from anywhere anytime you needed him
Junko - a spunky horse that mellowed out this summer and worked hard alongside the pros
Narve' - another pack horse known as a "tank" for his size, steadiness, and calm nature
Atla - a gelding with a great attitude ready for adults or kids
Ally - a cute little mare always waiting at the gate for a chance to go on a day ride to eat grass
Finn - an older guy set aside for valley kid lessons this summer
Oates - a bundle of energy and eager to work once her attitude was in check
Skoal & Tyrus - the scruffy babies of the bunch with their first riding experience this year
Lilly - a mare to entertain you on the trail with ears up and nostrils open ready for action
Layla - another loaner for a few weeks with a great attitude that loved being with the herd
Foss - a local's "ranch pony" and Fjord look-a-like able to outwork the big Fjords any day of the week

One More Ride

2009-10-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago, the remaining Fjords in the valley needed to be lead down the road from the Ranch in preparation for packing in hunters at Moore Point. I realized this may be my last chance to spend an afternoon riding one of the horses along the quiet Stehekin Road, so I volunteered. My only stipulation was that Steven get at least one good picture for the blog and he did :-) Of course that meant I had to get a picture of him with the truck loaded with gear he collected while I was riding. In case you are trying to count tails in that last picture, I ended up with 10 horses plus my riding horse after we added two at the bakery corals. I only have to retie a tail knot once!

Cascade Loop and More

2009-10-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, Steven and I took a few days off to travel around Washington. The weather was great and the colors were bright as we drove across the Cascade Loop, around the Olympic Peninsula, and through Seattle. Enjoy the sites and scenes we did as you scroll through the pictures.

Day one was starting from Chelan as we headed toward Twisp and found our way onto Hwy 20. The leaves were bright, the sky was blue, and the mountain tops were speckled with white snow.

Time for a top - Ross Lake and Dam. We found this old tug sitting along the road as we walked down to check out the dam.

The Skagit River provides power for Seattle and still has an operating power house and old intake. This train was rebuilt and placed here for tourists to enjoy.

Time for Autumn and beautiful colors!!

Catching a glimpse of this waterfall in the garden area behind the powerhouse. The area was previously set up with lights and evening music for guest enjoyment as they walked along the paths to glance at exotic plants.

Steven was fascinated by these fish and kept pointing out schools of them as we walked along a bridge. Salmon spawning for the season....or so we think.

Power House

The first day ended along Widbey Island and we made it there just in time for an amazing sun set. One of our favorite places was Fort Casey. You will notice that I was working on my sunset pictures during this trip and trying my hand at some flare.

The beach at Ebey's Landing

Fort Casey

Oh yeah...sunsets and silhouettes. I love this picture of Steven looking out over the fort into the water.

Lighthouse at Fort Casey

There goes the sun

So we will add a cool silhouette! Any guesses on who that might be??

We stayed with some friends on Widbey Island that first night and were served a great meal! Thanks to Eric and John (and family) for giving us a comfy bed too. The next morning we rose early to make the 7:15 departure on the Ferry to Port Townsend. Here is a picture from the ferry looking towards the town.

First stop - the harbor! Check out some of those sailboats and I (of course) like the reflection of the sky in the water. There were boats everywhere! Most of them had people living on them...or so it appeared.

Another boatAfter spending some time in Port Townsend, we headed toward Olympic National Park. One of our stops there was the Hoh Rain Forest. It kinda looked like the Congoree Swamp in SC, but we did see this elk there and thought he posed nicely in front of the colorful trees.

Hurricane Ridge...more snow covered peaks and sunny skies. We found a dirt road to drive down and caught some distant glimpses of Mount Rainer when looking down at Port Angeles.

As the day came to an end, we decided to drive all the way around Lake Quinalt. It was a neat drive and we saw a family of elk as well. While coming to the end of the loop, we glanced across the lake to see these great view! We made it to Rochestor that evening to stay with Katie (the one featured in previous posts) for a day or so. Steven made a trip to Cabella's, we enjoyed a party complete with karaoke, and went for a great trail ride. A big thanks to Katie and her family for having us for two nights.

The plan for the last day was a few hours in Seattle. It was great to walk around the market and enjoy all the stands selling flowers, produce, and fish. Seattle is complete with offers for a carriage ride. A fountain in the Seattle Center near the Space Needle.The harbor at Seattle with Mt. Rainer in the background.The city on the water.

Goodbye Katie

2009-10-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

This morning, Katie and Jesse (her horse) left on the barge. It was a sad day as she was an awesome friend this summer and great with the horses. We already have plans to see her in Seattle this weekend when we go down lake for a few days. WE MISS YOU KATIE!!

Flying Lazy C

2009-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we decided to brand Katie's boots since it would be her last day in Stehekin. Steven used the brand he made a few summers ago for small items. Both parts were heated up with a small torch until bright red in color, then into the outside portion of her boot heal they were pressed to leave a dark impression. So, we branded her boots together on Sunday, but know the memories of her summer in Stehekin will be remain with her for life. Just some fun photos of the branding process below!

Horse Play Day

2009-10-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Each year, all the valley kids gather to show off skills learned in horseback riding lessons. Katie and I rode horses down from ranch to watch the kids and ride a bit. The kids had fun doing a mini horse show complete with barrel "racing", pole bending, and jumping. Prizes were awarded and the adults rode a bit at the end. My little friend, Matthew, even did a roping demonstration for the group. I have been helping him with roping and teaching his horse to neck-rein this summer, so I was rather proud of him. Here are some fun photos from the day!