tulips!

When we bought our house, the previous owners had mentioned that there were tulips around the tree in the front yard. Andrea was super excited about this since her favorite flower is the tulip. So, we had been waiting in anticipation of the blooming of these tulips. So, we'd like to share a little of the color in our yard!

This little [big] guy is one of many culprits in our yard. We have several rabbits running around and were hoping they would stay out of our tulips.

Thankfully the rabbits stayed out and these are our wonderful tulips...about 50-100 of them!

These pictures were taken a few weeks ago, so our grass is greener and other plants/trees are currently flowering.

Andrea wanted to cut some and bring them inside to enjoy.

Andrea's birthday

Andrea's birthday was a couple weeks ago on a Friday. So Joe had planned some fun outings for Friday and Saturday for us to do. On Friday, we went to Starved Rock State Park and did some hiking. On Saturday, we went to an outlet mall near Champaign, IL to go shopping for the day. We had a blast, as usual..and these are some pictures to prove it:

This was traveling on Saturday to the outlet mall. We basically shopped til we dropped. Then we got some Amish goods [salsa and peanut butter sauce]. We also at Texas Roadhouse that night for dinner...Andrea's favorite.

We ate at this rootbeer stand in Oglesby, IL near Starved Rock. We saw it when we traveled toward the park and decided to eat there for dinner afterward. It was definitely an experience and the rootbeer was delicious!


The remainder of the pictures are from Starved Rock. The park is located next to the Illinois River and is composed of lots of sandstone. Thus, many canyons and waterfalls have been created over time. We had a blast exploring the canyons and trails, with only one scary moment of scrambling across a drop-off.

concert..

Andrea and I went to a concert a few weeks back called WinterJam. It was a concert that included several Christian rock bands including Newsboys, 10th Avenue North, and Third Day. We went with Andrea's sister and husband, Jill and Glenn and their two girls Ellie and Ava. The concert was here in town in Normal at the university.

Us at the concert

Andrea and Jill at the concert

Glenn and Jill

Andrea and our nieces Ava and Ellie

Spring Break 2010

We have been so busy lately it just seems like we don't have time to do anything extra such as updating our blog. Hopefully it will become better updated in the future.

We went to Berlin, Germany for a weeklong trip for our ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ. We took 7 students with us to connect with other CCC staff in Berlin and to help reach out to the students on some campuses in the city. We had such a great time learning the culture and history of the city and being able to be a vessel for God while we were there. Here are some pictures from the week:

Us at a coffee shop-chocolate dessert drink and crepes!

In front of Humboldt University-once where Einstein taught..back in the day.

Joe enjoying a German feast...pork knuckle, saurkraut, potatoes, and mashed peas!

Laying on beds in an atomic bomb shelter in the city.

Trying on a HUGE backpack.

Waiting at a train station.

Waiting at a train station..some of the ladies with us.

The Brandenburg Gate

The Berlin Wall

One of the many bears around the city.

Bricks lying where the Berlin Wall once stood.

Our first night in Berlin...currywurst and fries!