Adventures in Living

Korey's First Prom

2008-04-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Saturday Korey had her very first Prom! She has been dating Darian for a little over six months and they both looked very sharp! She sent phone pics to some of you after her hair was done and she and Darian have many more pics that we will try to post later. As you can see, she is growing up way too fast and giving Dad ulcers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cub Scout Awards

2008-04-27T09:16:00.001-07:00

Kristian and Casey worked all last month toward their God and Country Awards with Pastor Bob. This is a special award through the Cub Scouts and the cool thing is they have awards for all different types of religions. Theirs of course is Protestant, but it is neat that all religions are represented and can be obtained.

The boys also worked at our local Humane Society last week as a scout activity. That was hard as we wanted to take home every animal they had! Casey loved the puppies the most of course!

"V", the newest Avise-Rouse

2008-04-08T11:13:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that Nicky, our Border Collie that was a part of our family for a little over 14 years, had to be put to sleep two weeks ago this Thursday. She had developed a tumor underneath her heart that was growing around her esophagus and windpipe, making it increasingly more difficult for her to eat and even breathe. Korey and I, as well as her boyfriend, Darian, and a family friend that took care of Nicky and Babie while we were away and couldn't take them with us, all went to say goodbye.

I wasn't going to get another dog until our summer vacation/running around/trips were done, but made the mistake of stopping at the Animal Rescue League Shelter where we got Babie just north of Marshalltown last week and fell in love with a Shepherd Mix. Here are two pics of "V", our newest family member. Too bad we aren't White Sox fans with those white feet!

He was very good over night for the first night in a strange place. I only had to correct him about where to use the bathroom(OUTSIDE!!!!!!!!!) 2 X. When I put him in the carrier for the night, he only whimpered once. This morning, I woke up, went to the bathroom, turned on the light, got partially dressed, and started talking to him before he made a sound! He seems very intelligent and it looks like he will be very easy to train.

Egg Dying 2008

2008-04-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

Just had to put something on the site since it had been so long! We dyed eggs while Grandpa Jerry, Aunt Judy, Uncle Dennis and Denise were visiting the Friday before Easter. Both Kristian and Casey were very into tye dying their eggs this year. They turned out nice and we never ate them of course! Why do we dye eggs again???

New Washer

2008-01-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

At least 6 years ago Dad found a washer and dryer sitting on a curb that said "FREE". He knew we'd be needing some soon since we were getting married and so we took them. They were stored at the Spence Farm for a few years while we lived in the apartment and then they got moved to Colorado with us. On Sunday, the washer finally quit working. Of course right in the middle of laundry. We had to run out and get a new one. We ended up at Lowe's and got the cheapest one they had. It's still a big step up from our old one!! Here's Doyle getting it in the tiny laundry room!

Adventure in moving recap...

2007-12-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
We are pretty well moved in and I have begun my new ministry here in Columbia, IL.
I thought I would share with you all how it went down.
So, back in November we had the vote, signed the contract and scrambled to get everything packed and ready. We spent Thanksgiving afternoon and evening in the Northern Chicago suburbs visiting Kelly, Jill and the kids and being fed incredibly well by Stacy and Charlie (Jill's sister and brother)... Friday the 23rd: more packing; picking up the U-haul trailer (for things we needed to have with us and things the movers wouldn't take); oh and a wedding rehearsal. Saturday the 24th: more packing; a wedding and reception. Sunday the 25th: Sunday School, Worship, farewell lunch and open house til 3pm; more packing; begin loading vehicles and the trailer. Monday the 26th: the moving crew arrives at 8:30am, loads up and leaves by 12:30. We finished loading, cleaned the house a little, picked up the kids from school and drove south. Nicole, Casey and Murphy the Beagle in the van; Kristian and I in my Saturn Vue pulling a trailer as big as the Vue... Now, the Vue normally gets a little better than 22mpg, but on this trip I got 15. We got into Columbia about 10:30pm and settled into the parsonage which had not yet warmed up (we had space heaters provided by a search committee member) for the night. Tuesday we unloaded what we had brought with us and worked on things we could get done before our stuff arrived, and got rid of the trailer. Wednesday the 28th: the moving crew arrives at 8:30, moves our stuff in and is gone by 12:30 - Wow! Bekins is the best moving company we ever had. Since then we have been unpacking - and decorating for Christmas - and reconnecting with family and friends down here.

The whole thing was nuts, but we took very little damage to us or our stuff... I'm not sure this even qualifies as an adventure except for the way we pulled it together and pulled it off so quickly. We amazed each other, Nicole was awesome at getting stuff organized and packed and so on... so, here we are!

That's all for now,
Kristofer

Thanksgiving

2007-11-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner. I even made a turkey for the first time, with Dad's help. We had mashed potatos and gravy, green beans, rolls and sparkling cider. After dinner Dad, Miah, Doyle and I played catch in the cul-de-sac while Korey held Tucker. Leia even got in on the game.

OHMYGOSH We are Moving in a WEEK!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
After a VERY successful candidating weekend and a nearly unanimous vote we are OFFICIALLY moving to Columbia, Illinois one week from tomorrow - that would Monday, November 26th, 2007 (in case you are reading this in the future )!! Lots to pack, lots of details to wrap up and on top of everything else, I still have to do my old job until Sunday - including a Thanksgiving Eve Ecumenical service, a wedding, Sunday Service, a few last visits, and newsletter stuff. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This is definitely going to be an ADVENTURE on a scale that only we Avise-Rousey types would ever dive into willingly and with eyes wide open. I believe that we have not only learned to define ourselves through our adventures, but that we come to know ourselves, each other, our world and even God through our adventuring in the metaphorical jungles, swamps, canyons and caverns of modern everyday living!!!

I think I'll get some sleep now (while I can).

Peace and goodnight,
Kristofer

Here we go!!!!

2007-11-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

We are candidating in Columbia, Illinois THIS WEEKEND!!
Friday: "meet & greet" with the youth groups over pizza,
Saturday: same deal with the rest of the congregation over snacky stuff,
Sunday: I preach, they vote and the Search Committee takes us out to dinner - hopefully to celebrate.

We plan to move on Nov. 26th!!!!

I know I said before that I couldn't say where it was, but since the announcement has been made to the congregation, it is OK now.

WE ARE VERY EXCITED !!!!

Preaching from the Revised Common Lectionary is often a minor adventure... it is spooky how often the suggested text is just right for the situation. We (close colleagues and I) like to blame it on the Holy Spirit (though with the dumb choices the committee made about things to leave out, one has to seriously question how much they actually LISTENED to the Spirit!!). Sunday's Gospel lesson: Luke 21:5-19 includes the line, "This will give you an opportunity to testify." Which is an excellent text for a trial sermon.

Love to all,
Kristofer

Yay Tucker! and misc. ramblings...

2007-11-02T10:33:00.001-07:00

Yay Tucker, Glad you are here!!
Not very nice scaring everybody and leaving Mommy with a sore scarred belly, but we don't blame you and we're really glad you are OK.

Yay Isabell! Nice tooth!!

Casey has lost his two front teeth (top ones) in three days. Yikes.

I really should put up a picture of my office at the church. It looks like a hurricane, or bomb, or well Kristofer hit it. I have packed about 1/3 of my books and papers (going to finish it after I finish blogging and eating lunch - yes, I AM multitasking!!) and EVERYTHING (of mine) is OFF the walls. Looks horrible (please read that as "HAAR-i-ble")!!

At development group yesterday morning we talked about my mixed emotions and the grieving/disengagement process for a UCC Pastor leaving a congregation. I seem to be doing most things the "right" way and am for the most part emotionally healthy - Yay me.

Oh well, back to work... I mean packing!!

Peace & Love to All,
Kristofer

Tucker Allen Spence

2007-11-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Tucker arrived at 8:35 am Tuesday morning the 30th of October. We are home now and great, I'll tell the story and put up pictures on Tucker's Crib! www.spencezoo02.blogspot.com

My First Tooth

2007-10-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

\
Isabell got her first tooth a few weeks ago, but we couldn't get a good picture until now. The one right beside it is coming in now too. She seems way too young to be getting teeth. Luckily, she hasn't really been grumpy with it!! She likes to stick her toungue out if you pull down her lip, so she covers her teeth up.

Continuing Adventures in "Search and Call..."

2007-10-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

OK,
I can't officially say where YET. But, I AM the candidate for an associate pastor position near St. Louis. My trial sermon and vote are Nov. 18th! Assuming a positive vote (and everyone is assuming a positive vote - in fact the Sr. Pastor already sent me something to work on) we will move the week of Nov. 26th and I'll start my new ministry on Dec. 9. The AP is responsible for things like youth, young adults/families, small groups, technology, evangelism, and starting an alternative worship service.

We are all excited. Nicole is happy to be moving back home. I was completely surprised to discover that it has become my home too. I never had a home - until I moved to StL. I had never lived in one town longer than four years. I lived in the StL. Metro for 16 years and I miss it way more than I ever thought I would. I miss the zoo, the museums, the seminary, the churches and about 100 different restaurants. Friends, colleagues and family of course are what I miss most.

I have already begun the process of saying goodbye here in Darlington, WI. I have done my last service at the assisted living facility and tomorrow is my last service at the nursing home. These folks and my shut-ins I visit are the hardest to say goodbye to. The little congregation at the assisted living facility have been fantastic; they ask questions during my mini-sermons and require me to be really clear not only about my own theology but also about the positions of other mainline churches and the history, tradition, and scripture behind those beliefs and positions. They have been really good for me and I will miss them. I am also feeling sad about leaving my Hospice team and my development group; these colleagues, both pastoral and medical have been enormously important to my wellbeing and to my growth in my ministry. Definately a mixed feelings situation; but not so much that I doubt the decision that has been made.

Wishing you peace and blessings and happy adventuring,
Pastor Kristofer

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

On the 20th we went to the Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Patch, our favorite pumpkin patch ever! We've been going there for quite a few years now. They have tons of pumpkins, fun stuff for the kids, and LOTS of yummy food. We always have to get some apple cider and pumpkin bread, it's the best!

We were walking around and a little boy ran straight up to me and said "Jessie". It was Augie! We were so suprised to see them there, we didn't know they were coming and they didn't know we were coming. It's about a 45 min drive from Greeley, so we didn't think many people from here went to this pumpkin patch. It was great to see the boys enjoying everything. Our friends Tim and Betony were there the same day too. Doyle was telling Tim that we were probably the only 4 people there without kids and Tim said we're probably having the most fun too!

Doyle is the corn maze.

Me in the pumpkin patch. That's my fat pumpkin!

Doyle in the pumpkin patch, I love all the orange around him! His pumpkin is the tall skinny one!

Washing off my pumpkin, of course I picked a dirty one! The guy weighing the pumpkins asked me if I was trying to steal one under my shirt!

Doyle's decepticon pumpkin. We decided to carve Transformers this year. He took the easy one!

My autobots pumpkin. It was sooooo hard to get the little pieces!

Transformers: More than Meets the Eye

Here's an actual picture of the autobot and decepticon logos. I think we did pretty well!

Last Day of Nanny-ing

2007-10-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was my last day of watching the Cook boys. It was a long day and I was pretty worn out by the end, but still sad I'm not going to be seeing them as much. They are a couple of amazing boys and I've had such a great time with them. I'm sure I'll be making some "play dates" so Tucker and I can hang out with Augie and Becket.

Prime Party!

2007-10-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

Doyle was so excited for the Transformers movie to come out on DVD. He decided to throw a "Prime Party" (Optimus Prime is the head good guy!) Our friends Tim and Betony came over and we had masks, toys, and goodies all on a Transformers tablecloth!

I'm a bad blogger...

2007-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hi all.

I've closed down my blog "Liberation Through liturgy". I had hoped that it would help me to develop some discipline in my writing and thinking. It didn't. On top of that, almost no one ever read it. One of my seminary professors who was googling his own name dropped in and left a comment... but that was months ago. So, it is no more. Jessie Jo, please remove the link on the sidebar as it is now a "dead link."

I am currently engaged in the adventure of the Search and Call process, having discerned that Darlington is NOT a good fit for us Avise-Rousey types. I have profiles out all over the place, but we most hopeful about a spot very near St. Louis; which also happens to be the one congregation that has moved beyond, "We are reviewing your profile."

This also means that we are preparing for yet another adventure in moving. All of this is of course amplifying the ever present adventures in parenting. Kristian isn't happy about moving in the middle of a school year and he is expressing that by arguing about everything with everybody. He and Casey both continue to be "too smart" by at least half.

More later.
Love to all,
Kristofer - the bad blogger.

Colorado Shower

2007-09-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

A group of friends from church had a baby shower for us. They made awesome plain food, just for me: grilled cheese, tomato soup, ants on a log (raisins in peanutbutter on celery), and even had a milk bar that you could mix in chocolate or strawberry. We got lots of great present including a diaper cake that our friend Amy made by hand! It has diapers all the way around each layer with lots of goodies tucked around. Our friend Kelly, who I have pushed into scrapbooking made pages for Tucker's book and each person wrote a little note on for him. I really liked Augie and Beckets, "Tucker! hurry! Let's play!" We played fun games like baby trivia, draw what Tucker will look like, the clothes pin game (with a twist) and even a daddy obstacle course. It was amazing how many Tucker's were born with a beard, inlcuding mine! Christine won that game, it's the first picture, but we also really liked Tim's "Tucker Spence: computer, Iowan, firefighter extraordinaire." For the clothes pin game: as we opened presents none of the girls could say "cute" or they lost their pin and the guys had to make some comment on every gift or they lost their pin. We got some interesting comments, but it made it really fun! The Now-Famous-Jeff-Cook-Daddy-Obstacle-Course starts with an embarassing story about Jeff. He got sick one day while he was home by himself with both boys, and Augie was being ornery and Becket was fussy. Augie decided to throw the remote into the toilet under Jeff as he was getting sick. Jeff tried to save the remote while holding Becket and poo went everywhere. When Kelly got home, all 3 were sitting on the couch with no clothes on except a towel on Jeff and she was informed that she could not use the bathroom or even enter it that night! Eric made an obstacle course that started with a water balloon in their shorts. They had to run around carrying 2 "babies" (sleeping bags) while doing various chores around the back yard without making a mess with the balloon. It was Hilarious! Doyle did a great job taking care of the kids, but his balloon popped. A couple of the guys finished pretty well, and a couple dropped the kids numerous times!

Childbirth Class

2007-09-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

We had our childbirth education class last weekend. It went really well. We both felt like we learned a lot and are more prepared. We got to do a tour of the hospital and it was really nice. The birthing center is all pretty new and they did a great job. There are jacuzzi tubs in all the labor and delivery rooms. They have a massage therapist on staff and every new mom gets a free massage. Every day from 2-4 they have "Mommy Time" and they bring milk and warm cookies around to each room and no nurses or doctors bother you during that time. We were on the tour when they were bringing around the cookies and they smelled so good! I made Doyle stop at the store on the way home to get me some cookies! All the dad's got to wear the pregnancy belly. It weighs 35 lbs and they have to put on a brace around their lungs so it's sort of like being squished. There is even a "bladder" that goes under the belly and pushes on their bladder. I told Doyle it still isn't the same and he says "No, it was a lot heavier that you have to carry around!" I still think it would be easier even if it is heavier because everything is on the outside of your torso, not in it, squished with all your other organs! I haven't gotten any more sympathy because of it, but it was sure funny to see him in!

Doyle's Fun

2007-09-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

Doyle is playing softball on a men's league with the fire dept. He's having a lot of fun and they are doing pretty well. Last night they won 24-12.

He got money for his birthday from Kris and Nicole and Grandma and decided he really wanted an Optimus Prime transformer. He's been having lots of fun playing with it and loves to show off how it transforms!

Miah to Colorado

2007-09-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah got to come visit over Labor Day weekend. He played a lot of video games with Doyle and we went to eat at Hobbnobbers Tavern where they give you a frosted mug and you pull your own root beer out of 6 different kinds. We played frisbee golf and mini golf and of course, Leia got lots of attention!

She's getting bigger

2007-09-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is Isabell in her hat from G-ma Liz. She didn't want Isabell to get sunburnt. It is made out of swimsuit material.

Isabell helping Mommy with laundry.

Isabell and Daddy with their dew rags on.

Isabell with her prayer shawl from the church.

Isabell's first night in her crib. She woke up a couple hours earlier than normal, but slept through the next night. Dustin was a little sad she wouldn't be in our room anymore.

Isabell flying on her big stuffed duck.

South Dakota Anniversary Vacation

2007-08-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

We went to South Dakota for a long weekend to celebrate our 5 year anniversary and our last vacation just the 2 (3!) of us. We were so excited to take the new van and couldn't believe how much room we had. Leia didn't enjoy the extra room and decided to climb under the dash in front of my seat! We stayed in a cabin in Custer. It was so nice, it had a kitchenette, a fold out sofa, full bathroom, and a loft with 2 queen beds.

Behind the cabins were lots of rocks and trees to run around and climb on.
We had an amazing view of Custer and the hills off our balcony.
We ate breakfast out there every morning.
Driving around South Dakota was beautiful. Doyle really wanted to drive through some tunnels, so we took a scenic way home one day and found this amazing tunel with Mt. Rushmore on the other side!
The first wild buffalo we saw. Yes, he's peeing, we tried to take about 5 pictures and he's peeing in all of them!

I know, it's just deer, we have deer in Colorado and lots in Iowa, but I've never seen so many deer at one time before. We drove for about 5 miles outside Custer and saw hundreds of deer. They were all up close to the road and in people's yards and mingling with the cows, horses and even dogs.
In Custer State Park we had to stop for a buffalo crossing.
At the mammoth site. This was pretty cool, there used to be a big sink hole that the mammoths would come to so they could eat and then they'd fall in and drown. Someone was building a housing development and found a bone and now they've uncovered 56 mammoths.

Crazy Horse memorial. Not nearly finished but HUGE! They refuse to take any money from the government, they want it all to be built because of people who want to see it, not the government. Mt. Rushmore could fit inside Crazy Horse's head. We got to watch a light show after dark that they project onto the side.

We took a long walk down from the observation deck at Mt. Rushmore to the bottom of the mountain.

All the state flags.
At Rushmore cave. Some of it was a very tight squeeze! Christy Spence certainly couldn't have made it through!

At Cosmos mystery area.

At Bear Country you could drive through 200 acres of natural habitat. The animals roam free and you have to stay in your vehicle with your windows up! Here we saw Elk, arctic wolves, big horn sheep, rocky mt goats, mountain lions, bears, buffalo. This bear in the picture was in a fenced in area, but most weren't.

They have these grates all over (the state actually) to keep the animals from walking on the road to where they don't want them to go. Tires can drive over it fine, but if an animal tries to cross their leg will fall in and so they can't get across. We saw tons of these, even in people's driveways.
This bear was walking right along side our van and then finally turned to pose for a picture.

We went to Wall Drug on our last day in South Dakota and got souvenirs and took some fun pictures.

More Vacation Pictures

2007-08-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a few more pictures of our trip. The one where all the kids are sitting at an outdoor table is at Hellbrunn Castle. The man who built it loved water and he had trick fountains all over the grounds. He had a weird sense of humor! And all the kids were soaked by the end of the tour. The one of the boys is at an outside cafe in Vienna. There are tons of them everywhere and they love to people watch. The view of the church is in Prague. Architecture there was amazing. The high view is of Salzburg, easily our favorite place to be. And the picture of the guard is also in Prague at the castle.

Austria & Czech Republic!

2007-08-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

We spent 8 days on a Disney Adventures trip exploring Austria (Vienna and Salzburg) and the Czech Republic (mostly Prague). It was a fantastic trip and we all had so much fun! We learned a lot about the history of each country, Mozart and The Sound of Music. Coffee houses were fantastic there....it may be where we need to live! It was so hard to come home. But here are a few pictures to share.

Something New

2007-08-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

We bought a van! Driving back to Iowa in July with the car packed to the brim, Doyle said "How are we going to make it at Christmas with the baby and all his stuff and presents?" So, we decided we needed more room. You may think it's silly to get a mini-van when we only have one kid, on the way, but Leia kind of is another kid with all her stuff she needs! Plus, when you make a trip that long and stay for a long period of time, you end up needing a lot of stuff! It's a 2004 Honda Odyssey. It has power sliding doors, a DVD system, the rear seats fold flat into the floor so there is lots of storage room. We also really like the heating/cooling system, you just set the temp you want and the car adjusts the fan temp and speed as needed! Doyle's driving it to work and back now since we're pretty sure it gets better gas mileage than the truck (we're checking on that now). When Tucker is born he'll get to drive his truck to work and I'll keep the van at home. Yes, we traded in the car, as Doyle says, "Duh!" We were joking a lot about it, but I could never ask him to get rid of that truck. Plus, we couldn't have traded in the truck because we still owe more on it than the car is worth! I'm pretty sure it's exactly like Kris and Nicole's only a different color, maybe a few small things are different. We are very happy and even though it's a mini-van Doyle seems to be enjoying it. He's been showing it off anyway!

Dog Days at the Evans Pool

2007-08-20T14:51:00.001-07:00

Every year the Evans pool has a special day at the end of the season for dogs to come swim. It is $2 per dog and they can fit up to 70 dogs in at a time. They have contest like farthest jump, fastest retrieval, cutest wet dog. There were so many dogs that wanted in, some had to wait outside until others left. We really wanted to take Leia even though she doesn't enjoy water that much. She does ok if she can touch, but she won't go in and swim. First we tried her out in the kiddie pool that was only 1 ft deep. It took some coaxing, but she finally got in and seemed to do ok. So, we decided to try her in the big pool. She would walk down a couple steps but that was it. Doyle held her for a while in the water and she liked that. Then we let her swim to the steps and when she got out her tail was wagging! We had to drag her in but then we'd let her swim over to the steps and get out and each time she was wagging her tail. We let her off the leash and she ran around and sniffed a bunch of other dogs and got lots of attention. We got a free frisbee and a bunch of treats for Leia. We decided to leave a little early so that other dogs could come in a swim that got there late. We had a great time and we think she actually did too. She was exhausted by the time we got home!

5 Year Anniversary

2007-08-20T14:14:00.001-07:00

We are celebrating our anniversary next weekend in South Dakota by staying in a cabin near Mt. Rushmore and seeing all the sights there. But, we decided since that would be our last big vacation for a while we'd celebrate on our actual anniversary, Friday, in Northern Colorado.

First we went to the mall in Loveland and made our first Build a Bear for Tucker. He's a puppy with 2 different colored ears wearing a fire fighter outfit and helmet and his name is Blazer!

We also got Tucker a new outfit, it says "chicks dig me" in case you can't read it!

Then we went to a really big, cool park in Fort Collins that also had a dog park. Leia was interested for a little while, but mostly she was jealous of us petting other dogs!

Then we walked around a lake until we found a picnic spot. Doyle had packed a great supper with Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for dessert!

It rained for a little bit, just enough to cool it off, and to make these 2 beautiful rainbows. One is the brightest I'd ever seen, and the other is pretty faint in this picture.

There was even a little water play area that we took Leia into. She didn't enjoy it as much as we'd hoped, but she could still touch bottom, so she followed us around in it. Good practice for what we did on Sunday, another post for that adventure!

Then we ended the day at the drive in theater. Doyle had never been to a drive in and we had been wanting to see Rush Hour 3 and that's what was playing. We sat in the bed of the truck and it was beautiful out, especially with the mountains behind us!

Leia decided she'd watch the movie from inside the truck, although I think she slept through most of it!

We had a great time and we're really excited for our trip next weekend. We leave on Friday morning and get back on Monday night, we'll have more pictures to post after that I'm sure!

Harry Potter!

2007-08-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

I got to go to the midnight party at Borders and get my Harry Potter book. I was so excited and it only took about 20 mins for me to get my copy. Mostly because Dad, Miah and Korey stopped in Dubuque and got me a wristband early so I'd be in the beginning groups! Doyle got a copy out here too and he had his read by Monday evening and I finished mine on the way to the Rockies game Tuesday night. It was great. I am so sad it is over, but I enjoyed them all so much. I can't wait for Tucker to read them and have as much fun with them all as I have!

The pictures are me in line waiting for my book and then after I got it. My shirt is a Marauders' Map shirt and the back says "Mischief Managed"!

Wisconsin Week

2007-08-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with the boys in Wisconsin. Every day we took the dogs for a walk which was always an adventure! We saw Harry Potter for the 2nd time and goofed around while waiting for it to start! Kristian and I got to watch lots of T-ball and Casey did a great job and got to show off "Big, Red, and Shiny". We played a lot of Harry Potter Scene It and was suprised at how much they knew. Murphy obviously missed cuddling with Nicole and thought I was the next best thing!

Baseball!

2007-08-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from are trip thought you all might be interested in.

Finished Ultrsound

2007-07-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

We finished up our ultrsound on Thursday. At our first one they couldn't see one foot and one side of his heart because he was moving so much. Everything is great! I've just started feeling him move regularly. Doyle's gotten to feel him a couple times too which is awesome. During this ultrsound he was moving all over and I was feeling him in places I hadn't before. He had his mouth open a lot this time. The tech said he's either really thirsty or he's talking back already! She gave us a TON more pictures, which of course I was happy about! We got one of his open mouth and one of his head and whole body and his arm right as he hit me!

2007-06-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Who thinks her carseat is very comfortable?

I do.

Thanks to all of you for the carseat. It's definately getting lots of use!!
Love,
Dustin, Sarah, & Isabell

Isabell Update

2007-06-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

I finally finished boards and now I have time to take care of other things. So, here are some new pictures of Isabell. Grandpa Jack measured her this past Tuesday (6/26) and said she had grown to 23.5 inches. Not sure how accurate that is:) She is a very gassy baby, but usually in a good mood. She already sleeps from around midnight till 5 am (except when Dustin is in charge of getting up with her). Chiefs fan already!

Tucker Allen Spence

2007-06-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

It's a BOY! Here are a couple pictures of me at 20 weeks along. I've only gained 2 pounds but you wouldn't think that by looking at me! Tucker is doing great, he weighs 11 ounces which is perfect and his heart and all the rest of him is great! My blood pressure was 109/61 which is good and I haven't been sick once! Lucky me!!

The first ultrasound picture is a profile of his face. His arm is up there on the top.

The second is showing off his boy parts. This is looking up from his bottom, he spread his legs apart and is making sure we know he's all boy!

This one is him looking right at us, he has his hand under his chin and his mouth open.

Obviously, a foot!

This one is showing off his chubby cheeks, he's facing out.

Another profile.

Just some pictures

2007-06-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

I just thought I'd post a few random pictures. Some of our finished fence, the grass is starting to grow, but only where the water pools up. Cute puppies from our last trip to Iowa, ok, they're not puppies anymore! Flaming supper at Rubes and a giant ice cream sundae. More of baby Isabell.

New "Niece"!!

2007-05-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Isabell Marie Olsasky was born on May 23rd at 3:55 pm. She was 20" long and 7lbs 9 oz. Sarah is doing great, she actually called me last night to let me know! Here are some pictures.

Post Holy Week Vacation

2007-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

After Holy Week, we took a short vacation to the Wisconsin Dells and stayed at Great Wolf Lodge which has an indoor waterpark. It was fun! We also went Cosmic bowling and played pirate mini-golf. Kris felt better after some time off! I guess he had better get used to it. Easter was cold here too, Jess. We had a snow storm on April 11th. Even school was canceled.

Easter Egg Hunt

2007-04-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

We went to an Easter Egg hunt with the Cooks (I nanny for their boys) and Eric. It was FREEZING and snowing. Doyle and I were both in winter coats and hats and gloves. Augie (who is 2) walked past 5 or so eggs and picked up one, then walked past another 5 and picked up one more and then he was done. We stuck around for a little bit and then went out for breakfast. It was really fun, but really cold. That's Augie's little brother Becket in the bunny hat and Augie's fire truck Easter basket covered in snow!

Also, since I'm bragging about the job I love, I should say that I half quit was half fired from my other job. Long story, but I wasn't on the schedule anymore after next week and when I asked why, they said they didn't need me anymore, so I quit. They had me on the schedule for a few more days, but I decided if they couldn't be decent enough to let me know that I don't have a job anymore, I don't have to be decent to them either by helping them out for another week. Finally, I'm so glad to be done with that job! Now to decide if I should try and get another part time job to go with nannying or not.

Jan/Feb/March birthdays

2007-04-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been pretty busy lately, just finally am finding time to post so I have quite a bit to put on here. First, here are some pictures from the birthdays. We had such a great time!

Happy Birthday!

2007-02-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say Happy Birthday Miah!

running 2

2007-02-20T18:36:00.000-08:00

Thought you might all enjoy the picture! I'm done with indoor season. I was pretty close to qualifing in the 400, and 600 but not close enough. I'm transitioning now to outdoor. I'm heading home the 2nd for break, and will be coming back the 12th. Oh by the way this picture is the only 800 i ran in indoor, I am winning but end up dyeing and doing really bad. Oh well it was really fun and i learned a lot. Can't wait to see everyone in a March!!

love miah

Super Bowl

2007-02-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

We attended a Super Bowl party at our friends', Tom and Amber, originally from Iowa. They had just finished their basement and had air hockey, foosball, and ping pong (Doyle's favorite). We made pickle wraps and Bears cookies. And dressed in our orange and blue. Too bad the wrong team one! Doyle worked very hard on the Colt in the gun sights cookie!

Harry Potter

2007-02-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

The new, 5th, Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, comes out on July 13th. The new, and last, book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows comes out on July 21st. I'm so excited! I think we might pre-order 2 books, one in Ames and one in Greeley, since we don't know where we'll be!

Adventures in My Passion

2007-01-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

Well as I'm sure some of you know I had my first college track meet yesterday. It was at ISU and I was extremely nervous, even so that i made my self sick and puked before my race! I ran the 600 Yards in 1:19.7 which i'm pretty pleased with for my first race. (i puked again afterward). Then Jonathan was able to come over after the basketball game, and Dad made it after he watched Korey in her Drama/music thing. They watched my 400, i ran that in 54.9 only a second from my personal best. I'm very happy and had a great time, can't wait to improve and set new marks!

love miah

One More Flag Picture (Promise!!)

2007-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

Today (January 16th) is the birthday of Peter's brother, Rick. He was born and lives in California, and their father was originally from Russia, so we're flying the American, Russian and California flags today. This posed a small problem with protocol. The period for flying the US flag a half-mast for President Ford is still in effect (30 days after his death). However, it's bad form to fly a foreign nation's flag a half-mast unless that nation has officially decided to do so. (The US did this when Pope John Paul II died). It's *also* bad form to fly another nation's flag higher than the US flag! The best solution was to fly all of them at full mast. This was good, actually, because the wind was from the north today. The house faces south, and tends to block north winds from flags that aren't all the way up.

For Peter and Mary

2007-01-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Flags for January 14th

2007-01-14T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hello, Everyone,

We were hoping for some wind, but no luck -- it has been flat calm all day. Here's the best photo we could get of today's flags. Keeping in mind what today is, can you decode the signal flags on the two near poles? If you need help, the International Code of Signals is on several web sites, including this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_maritime_signal_flags

This is a straight alphabetic message, so each flag corresponds to a letter. Helpful hint: the blue and yellow pennant on the nearest pole is a substitute pennant -- it means "repeat the first (top) flag in this hoist."

By the way, Velma -- thanks for the Christmas present! (-;

Adventures in Dentistry

2007-01-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

We just had to report that Casey FINALLY lost a tooth! The poor child was really beginning to worry that he would be the only one in his class who has not lost a tooth and he is one of the oldest. He was so excited this morning when he realized during breakfast that his tooth was loose. By the time lunch was over, he had the tooth out. It is now safely under his pillow awaiting the tooth fairy!

OUR FLAGS

2007-01-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hello from Virginia!

Peter is fulfilling his childhood fantasy of having flagpoles in front of the house. These are the flags that we flew back on Thanksgiving Day. Hungary and Turkey are obvious, but why Taiwan? Well, we normally would use China, but this was Thanksgiving, so we used the *good* China.

On a more somber note, this was our display on December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day. The US flag has 48 stars, which was the official number in 1941. The middle flag is the state of Arizona. Approximately half of the Americans who died that day were aboard the battleship USS Arizona when it exploded and sank. The third one is the modern flag of the US Navy Department.

Here is what we flew over the holidays. The one on the nearest pole is the flag of Christmas Island, an Indian Ocean territory of Australia (note the stars of the Southern Cross in the blue triangle). The signal flags spell out "peace" and "joy" in the International Code of Signals. Note that the flag for the final "e" in "peace" is a substitute pennant, which repeats the second flag of the hoist. This is what you do when you don't have enough "e"s.

This was New Year's Day. Three nations have national holidays on January 1st -- Slovakia, Taiwan and Haiti. Unfortunately, we didn't have a Haitian flag, so the third pole has "2007" in ICS. (Hard to read because of the lack of wind.) Next year we'll get it right!

Finally, here's a "typical" arrangement. The middle flag is the state of Virginia, and the right-hand one is the new flag of Annandale. Peter worked with the committee that designed the Annandale flag. They're at half-mast for President Ford.

As you know, Sunday (January 14th) is a *very* important day in the Rouse family. We'll post a picture of Sunday's flags -- let's hope there's enough wind. Stay tuned . . . .

Peter & Mary

Christmas, Cheerleading, Celebrating, and Conduit Chaos

2007-01-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random pictures: from Christmas', Korey's cheerleading, New Years Eve, and of course, the plumbing disaster!

Doyle and Korey at Troy

Jacque, Kelly, and Renee at Troy

Chris, Corydon, DaMarquez, and Korey watching Miah play

Chris, Doyle, Miah, Kelly, and DaMarquez playing ball

Grandma in her annual pose!

Super-Tre

Kurt with a pull-up hat

Dirty Leia after playing on the farm

Kris and Nicole in their matching PJ's

Korey the first family cheerleader

Korey and Doyle celebrating the New Year with sparkling mixed berry juice

Miah doing the same!

Trying to sled on the "less than an inch" of snow in Tama

The plumbing problem

Judy and the Plumber

Snowy Snow Day

2006-12-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

WOW! So, you have probably all heard about the snow out here. It was blowing and drifting a lot so we have a few patches in our front yard where we can see some grass sticking out and about 2 feet in front of our garage in dry pavement. We also have a place in our front yard that is 25" high and most of our backyard the yardstick dissapeared, so over 3 feet. We can't get the truck out yet, but we're working on it. We'll see how it is in the morning and then decide which vehicle to take; little Ion with no weight, or big Tundra with 4 wheel drive! Most of our subdivision is outside shoveling so I made a bunch of hot cocoa and Doyle and I took it around to everyone, not many takers, but we tried. Leia loves to try and run in the deep parts, but she mostly just jumps and then sinks to her belly and then jumps again and then sinks again. So cute! Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Casey's Christmas musical

2006-12-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Kindergarten and first grade put on a great Christmas musical yesterday at school. They had been practicing for a long time on these songs and they all did such a great job. I wish I had videotaped it but at least I got pictures! And luckily the school arranged for me to go because I was working in 2nd grade yesterday so someone came in and took my class for an hour so I could see the show. And the great thing about Kris being a pastor is that he could be there too! We were very proud of Casey and he sounded awesome. He really has a great voice.

Happenings in the last couple weeks

2006-12-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

We've had quite a bit going on since Thanksgiving. We celebrated at Doyle's Aunt and Uncle's house outside Iowa City. It was a fun time, we ate a lot of food, played a white elephant type gift game and got to meet Duane's fiance. Here is a picture of Doyle and his grandparents, George and Melva.

We stayed an extra week after Thanksgiving at Dad's while Doyle covered in Ames for another week.

Dad and I got to see Korey perform her dance routine at the Iowa State Dance Competition in Des Moines on the following Friday. I don't have any pictures from that because I was video taping, Dad will have some though. On friday night, Doyle was supposed to come down and meet Sarah, Dustin, Abby Davis and I to eat supper and then we were going to go see Jolly Holiday Lights. Doyle was very excited for this part. When Sarah, Abby and I were ready to leave the dance competition, I called Doyle and he seemed upset. He said a guy brought in a laptop that was blue-screening at 3:00, right when he was going to leave. By 9:30 after we had eaten, he was still working, so Abby and Sarah drove me to Ames to drop me off at Hach. That was about 10 pm. After getting him some supper, we ended up leaving Ames aournd 1:15 am, getting to Tama around 2 am. It was a LONG night.

Then on Saturday, Doyle and I hung out all day with Korey, we watched "You, Me, and Dupree" and "Nacho Libre" and ate Casey's Pizza. It was a good relaxing day. Then Doyle and I went to hear Dad's community band play at the Christmas Ball. They did really good and I was suprised how many of them were in the band.

Then on Sunday morning we left early to head to Morningside and see Miah. We had a lot of fun checking out the campus and then we ate at Hu-Hot, a mongolian buffett. It was so good! I was completely suprised I like it, it was mixed up!

When we got back home, we immediately went back to work. I'm working part-time at Aqua Spas and part-time as a "nanny" for 2 amazing little boys, almost 2 yrs and almost 4 months. We decorated our house for Christmas on Wednesday. That was fun, except Doyle got called out to a fire in the middle of it!

home

2006-12-05T13:18:00.000-08:00

Hi! I made it home from Janes. Had a lot of fun shopping and meeting friends. Love, Grandma

Interstate 80 song!

2006-12-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

The University of Iowa did their dance routine to this song at the State Dance competition. It's funny!

Thanksgiving & Kassidy Turns Four!

2006-11-26T15:48:00.000-08:00

I thought I should post a few pictures for those that didn't make it to Chicago for Thanksgiving and Kassidy's birthday. We had a great time. Jill's sister Stacey, cooked the most awesome Thanksgiving meal ever and the kids got a chance to play hard so it was a good day. The next day we celebrated Kassidy's birthday and we saw "Happy Feet" at the theater and went to Chuck E. Cheese for pizza and games. It was a great time and I think Kassidy enjoyed turning four.

Blizzard Adventures

2006-11-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

It all started 2 years ago on a Sunday on our way home from Thanksgiving at Doyle's Grandparents in Eldon, IA. We were driving west on I-80 and ran into a huge blizzard. At North Platte, NE they closed the interstate and we were forced to find a hotel. All the hotels in North Platte were full, but they were opening shelters in school buildings. We didn't want to stay in a shelter so we decided to drive south on hwy 83 and try to make it to McCook, NE where we could take hwy 34 west to Greeley. We barely made it to McCook and decided we should get a hotel there. We had Leia with us and so we needed a hotel that allowed dogs. We found one with vacancies and got a room. We had to call Doyle's work to let them know he wouldn't be there in the morning. We ended up stuck for 2 days because all the highways were closed. We got food and games at Wal-Mart and camped out in the hotel.

Now, jog ahead a year to the same Sunday after Thanksgiving at Eden Seminary in Webster Groves, MO. We were driving home on I-70 and ran into another blizzard. They closed I-70 at Oakley, KS and again all the hotels were full. This year we really didn't want to stay in a shelter because of all the things we'd heard about after Hurricane Katrina. We were on the phone with Kris while he was on his laptop and said there were hotels open just north of us on hwy 83 in ... McCook, NE! Again we decided to try and make it, we did, just barely, and only with Doyle driving! We ended up getting a room at the exact same hotel as last year. We again had to call both of our jobs and tell them we wouldn't be there along with the vets office to let them know we wouldn't be able to pick up Leia. Doyle's boss gave him a hard time about this becoming a habit and if he wanted some more time off, he should have just asked! The roads were all closed for a couple days so we switched hotels after the first night to one with a pool and hot tub. Literally seconds after I took that first snow picture a huge transformer a few feet behind me shot off all these sparks and the whole neighborhood went black.

This year we are glad that we will not be traveling on the Sunday after Thanksgiving because we are staying in Iowa an extra week for Doyle to cover in Ames. Just pray the blizzard doesn't hit the weekend after!!

Adventures in College

2006-11-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Well i guess i don't have to many adventures, just wanted to blog how i was doing! I'm having a blast, other than all the reading, i'm loving college! I am currently playing intermural basketball, we are 2 and 5, running for track with the sprinters, enjoying my classes, and playing ultimate frisbee every sunday! I guess the biggest adventure lately was registering for next semester. They decided to try online registering, last nite at 12:01 the opened it up for all the freshman, well lets just say the server was bombarded, and i gave up at 12:45, my roomie got a call at 1:15 that it was working so we both got up and registered, i didnt' get into the math class i wanted, so i will be taking dramatic literature should be interesting. I can't wait till saturday nite, i'm going to the new 007 movie casino royale!! Can't wait to see everyone at thanksgiving and christmas! I miss you all, and love you too!!! Miah

Sell This House

2006-11-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

*I added a link to a virtual tour of our house that our realtor put together. Just click on the "Sell This House" title. Ours is at the top of the page: 3200 Rock Point Ct.

We finally got finished up with all the "staging" stuff in our house. We moved a lot of furniture and painted the two guest rooms. They seem a little plain to me, but look VERY nice. The "scrapbook" room is a beige color and the "office" is a really light green/grey. We put a ton of stuff in the crawl space, a few small pieces of furniture, a lot of packed boxes and tubs and other random things. We went a little lower on the price again because we weren't getting anything at that price before we switched realtors. We are very encouraged with our new realtor and hopefully things will go well and quickly! Here are some new pictures of our house: a couple of our living room with the table in a new spot, one of our empty hallway, a couple of the scrapbook room and a couple of the office. Plus: one of the old scrapbook room and one of the old office!

Suprise

2006-11-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone. Thought I should let you all know what's going on in our lives right now. It'll be mid May. Luckily, I haven't been sick!!! See you all at Christmas.
Love,
Sarah (& Dustin)

New Adventure in Blogging...

2006-11-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hi all,
I enjoyed this blogging stuff so much that I decided to start my own. Liberation through Liturgy will be a blog about how creating really good liturgy can be liberating for pastor AND congregation. While actually creating the liturgy is already one of main spiritual disciplines, I hope that writing about it will also become a sort of discipline for me.

Hope you all enjoy it.

Peace and blessings,
Kristofer

Wisconsin Halloween

2006-11-10T09:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I should post a picture of the kids from Halloween. Casey was Disney's Stitch and Kristian was an alien. The kid in the middle is Kristian's friend Sam Cohen and he was Dash from the Incredibles. They had a good time getting candy around here. It was kind of cold but not bad. They have set trick or treating hours for the town and I kind of like that idea. The great thing about this town is that the kids are really awesome here.

Fond Farewell

2006-11-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'd like to wish Dan McCarney a fond farewell. He has been an amazing coach and will be missed. "To the man behind the Cyclone. The face of ISU athletics for the past 12 years. The Dean of the Big 12. Two time Big 12 Coach of the Year. The man who erased the "laughing stock" view ISU had always been known for and brought respect to the program. The first Iowa State football coach to lead his team to a bowl championship. He lead the team to 5 bowl games in 6 seasons. The first to bring a conference championship OF ANY KIND to the university. The first to win 5 consecutive games over that other Iowa team." from In Honor of Dan McCarney: The Greatest Football Coach in the History of ISU facebook group. We'll miss you Dan!

Adventures at school

2006-11-08T15:17:00.000-08:00

Wow Casey (my brother) and I are going thru some interesting advetures in school.First of all it's like i'm moving backwards i'm doing last years work, it really stinks.Then comes our sub bus driver oh this one is bad!We call her Ms.Nightmare! She yells like a dying person.She even yells at the people that aren't on the bus.No more for this quarter of school.

October Weekend

2006-11-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some super cute pictures of the kids and others from the weekend of Melinda's wedding. Korey, Nicole and Kristian, Renee and Kelly, Casey, Kassidy, Tre, Me and Kurt, Jill and Nicole, Leia and Jeremiah, Mike and Melinda

Halloween

2006-11-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

OK, so, it's after church and after out potluck and I'm at home and Doyle's out on a call, so I have time for a real post. We had a great halloween party at the Long's on Tuesday. It was a halloween party/suprise birthday party for Christine/suprise baby shower for Christine and Rob. (Side note: they're having a girl, Kathryn Winter Myers, they'll call her Kate!) We were all supposed to come as famous/celebrity couples/families. So, Doyle and I went as Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.

A pretty good like-ness don't you think?! It was such a fun time. Pregnant Christine and Rob came as Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Kelly and Jeff with their boys Augie and Becket were characters from The Royal Tenenbaums, Eric and Amy were Number 2 and Alotta from Austin Powers, Lee was June Carter-Cash, Tim and Betony were Nacho Libre and Sister Encarnacion. We played funny baby games like: stick the baby to Christine, decorate a cookie to look like Baby Myers, guess the baby food, and guess the melted candy bar inside the diaper. Very funny!

As much as we are SOOOOO ready to move, we really are going to miss our friends we've made out here. I never thought we'd become this close to anyone when we moved out here, but I'm so glad we have. It probably would have been completely unbareable without them.

Second Post

2006-11-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

Hey, this is Kristofer. I'm Jessie's oldest (but not biggest) brother.
My current adventure (aside from raising two boys) is pastoring a UCC congregation in Wisconsin.

The pic is mom (Kate), Jessie, Nicole (my wife), Kristian and Casey (our boys) adventuring in the Colorado Rockies back in '04.

I want to fill in the background of the family motto. Before Jessie was born we moved from Des Moines, Iowa to Boston, Massachusettes with a U-Haul truck and grandpa Rouse's pickup. Well U-Haul's motto at the time was "Adventures in Moving"... When our disaster of a move was done Mom (Kate) said something like, "What a lie, Adventures in Moving my butt!" [that is probably nowhere near what she actually said, but since it was like 26 years ago I hope all will forgive me a slight memory lapse]

Anyway, "Adventures in Moving" and adventures in general became somthing of a family joke. Always a fan of James Bond's family motto: The World is Not Enough, I began to say that we needed a family motto and a coat of arms while we were at it. Eventually I began to threaten to create a motto and coat of arms. I don't remember if we ever actually discussed what the motto should be, it just sort of happened. I presented the coat of arms (complete with motto - in Italian, because I couldn't find an online Latin translator) to mom and dad for their twentieth anniversary.

As Jesus once said, "Come on kids, let's go have an adventure!"

Peace and blessings,
Kristofer

First Post

2006-11-05T17:08:00.000-08:00

So, here it is, the first post. I don't have much to say and even less time to say it in becuase I have to head to church. But, here it is, I'm also adding the first picture, a family one!