Pivot

In my mind, June has been the month of the "pivot." Our lives haven't changed drastically, but with Jordan passing boards and starting his new job, our plans and thoughts have started to change toward the future...looking at houses etc. So, June has been interesting...an adjustment and pivot.

2 Years: The beginning of June marked 2 years that I've been training for triathlon. Realizing this brought up so many emotions. Bottom line, triathlon has changed me for the good and has taught me more than I know. So thankful for this journey. 

A reminder that triathlon will always throw something new at you when you least expect it. 

Becky has decided to do GoGirl in August! So excited to watch her go on this journey!

4 Years: WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR 4 YEARS!!! How has this happened! These years have flown by, and I'm so so thankful for Jordan and the life we have built together. There really aren't words to describe it all.

This song...cheesy, but so so good. Makes me feel all of the marriage feels. 

 On our anniversary, Jordan planned a date that mirrored the day we got engaged. He planned horseback riding just like we did at Turkey Run and a picnic afterwards at the campground. It was a beautiful beautiful day. I'm so lucky that Jordan is thoughtful and plans such special things for me.

My beautiful roses that got delivered to work. 

4 years strong. 

He Passed: After dominating grad school for the past 2.5 years, spending a week studying, and enduring a 3 day review course...Jordan officially passed his boards, and is now Jordan Bushnell, FNP-C. To say that I'm proud would be an understatement. The fact that he has done all of this while still working, helping out around the house, and loving me well...does not hit me lightly. When I think about the work that he has put in, I get teary-eyed. I know that sounds crazy, but I really do. I'm literally crying as I type this.

Vincennes: While Jordan spent the weekend at his intensive review course, I went back to Vincennes for a wedding and to volunteer at the TryKnoxCounty Tri. Going back to Vincennes is always the weirdest experience. Staying at the house you grew up in, seeing people you know literally everywhere, the muscle memory that comes back when you're driving...it's all very bizarre.

I'm so glad I was able to see Emily get married. Since 1st grade, we have planned and talked about our weddings. It was so great to see that she has found someone that makes her feel happy and loved. She deserves it. The wedding was a beautiful celebration of what Christ has given us in a partner. Congrats, Emily Lynn Lynn!

Piece of Cake, always always delicious. A Gray staple. 

Last year, TryKnoxCounty was probably my least favorite race of the year. The short swim and the blazing hot run course full of crazy drivers were not my idea of a good time. But, I still love that my hometown is putting on a race and bringing the triathlon lifestyle to Vincennes...so I volunteered. The run course is super lonely(aka NO spectators) so I was excited to be at the halfway point of the run so that I could cheer on the racers and give them a little encouragement. Overall, this was a way better experience than last year.

You know...just chatting up the local police officer about how it's so weird that all of their parents are dead...only in Knox County.

It's A Girl: Pat and Abby announced this week that we're getting another girl in the family in November! Yay for all of the nieces!!!

Colorado 2017

One of our goals for 2017 was to take a "real" vacation. In March, we realized that our only real opportunity would be the week after Jordan graduated. So we (and by "we" I mean Jordan) quickly planned a trip to Colorado. We realized a few years ago that we enjoy adventurous trips way more than lazy weeks at the beach. Jordan did so much work to get all our Airbnb's planned, found the perfect hikes, and did a ton of research on the details that are boring-but have to be figured out. All of that research resulted in an amazing trip.

Saturday: We left crazy early, which allowed for a full day of adventure when we arrived. We explored Red Rocks, did the Coor's brewery tour, and settled into our AirBnb.

Sunday: We grabbed Voodoo doughnuts for breakfast and explored Washington Park. We even stumbled on the Colorado Jewish Festival. We ended the day with a delicious dinner at Linger. Denver was interesting, not our favorite stop of the trip, but fun to explore.

Monday: Monday was our first day of actual hiking and exploration. We left Denver early to drive to the foothills of Vail and explore the Herman Gulch Trail which is part of the Continental Divide trail. This was by far the most rugged trail we did, and honestly, it was way above our heads and probably dangerous to be out there alone. It was a TON of elevation gain in a short amount of time. All in all, I'm glad that we tackled this. It was 7.5 HARD miles, but the sense of accomplishment, and the views were worth it. 

Tuesday: We did another amazing trail on Tuesday. We hiked up to a beautiful waterfall...there was more snow. We could have definitely benefitted from some spikes or crampons. We had neither. 

That evening, we explored Vail and Vail Village, watched a water rafting competition, and had an AMAZING dinner at Sweet Basil-expensive and worth it. 

Wednesday: On Wednesday, we drove to Boulder and unfortunately encountered pretty rough weather. It wavered between cold, pouring, and foggy. Nothing outdoors was going to happen. We made a detour and toured the "Celestial Seasonings" tea factory. The tour was actually pretty interesting, and it was nice to rest for the day. 

That evening, the weather cleared up and we were able to explore Pearl St. near the campus. Boulder was definitely my favorite city that we explored. I loved the "college town" feel and the fun stores on Pearl St. We had dinner at Mountain Sun brewing Company that was delicious and fun.

Thursday: We woke up early on Thursday and drove up to Estes Park. Thankfully the weather was beautiful, and it was sunny and 70 degrees by the time we got to the Gem Lake Trail. This was such a fun hike. We were able to meet some new people, had great weather, and the trail had NO SNOW! Yay!!! The top of the trail led to a beautiful small lake, heavily populated with crazy chipmunks that enjoyed eating half our snacks right out of our hands-it was bizarre. 

The rest of the day, we drove around Rocky Mountain National Park.  We had no idea that it would take us HOURS to see half of the park. It was amazing, and hopefully someday we will show our kids this beautiful part of the world. 

Friday: We made the most of our last day. We went back to RMNP to do one last hike. Once again, the trail was covered in snow. We got to see some amazing sites, but I begged Jordan to turn back early before we broke any bones. After some more site seeing in the park, we drove back through Boulder to see the Flat Irons in good weather. We got to see some amazing views at the top of the city, and got to experience Boulder on graduation day: aka CRAZY BUSY. After some drama with our rental car, we flew out of Denver on Friday night. 

This trip was crazy busy, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. There is no way to photograph the beauty the we encountered, but I couldn't not try. Our God is so great, and it's impossible not to feel his presence in these amazing views.