Roller Coaster Ride

It brings you up slowly then shoots you like a rocket towards the ground

It twists you and it shakes you before it turns you upside down

You can't see what's around the corner

And you can't look back, so just live it up and feel the rush


Life is a roller coaster ride

Time turns the wheel and love collides

Faith is believing you can close your eyes and touch the sky

So shine while you have the chance to shine

Laugh even when you want to cry

Hold on tight to what you feel inside and ride
(Performed by: Martina McBride; Songwriters: Michael Davey, Andrew Dorff, Chris Robbins)

Joe and I spent a special Saturday together at World's of Fun. All by ourselves. It WAS fun. We rode roller coaster rides together. We are good roller coaster buddies. I was reminded of this good song sung by Martina McBride, and that life IS a roller coaster ride. We find that our strengths and weaknesses work well together as we continue to learn to climb and soar, jolt and weave through the twists and turns, lurches and loops and screeching halts of our life together.

Happy 12th Wedding Anniversary to us!

In our marriage, there are some other correlations:
*We ride intentionally.
*There are moments of nervous anticipation as we climb up. But we know we ride for the thrill of it.
*We can make it fun.
*There are long waiting lines that try our patience.
*The fierce speed is liberating and we are seemingly out of control. But there are also chances to slow down and catch our breath.
*The more times we ride, the more we know what to expect, and we can sit back and enjoy the ride.
*We know what joy ultimately awaits us at the end....and what keeps us coming back for more? THE RUSH!
I made an incredible choice when I chose to marry this man. With him, it's always an adventure, and I'm hoping that an eternity is long enough to spend with him! We've come far, and have so much yet to accomplish together. He makes it easy to anticipate our future and we have so much to look forward to.
I LOVE YOU, JOSEPH WESLEY FORRED!!!!

You are my constant. My companion. My tower of strength. My love. My Rush!

You know I adore you .

Now...which way to the next RIDE?!

Rocky Mountain High?

Well, our family survived our first (long) road trip since little Levi. We DROVE to Colorado and the kids did GREAT! Yes, we were expecting the worst, and got the BEST. We went with the idea of getting a feel for the area, since Joe has forever dreamed of living in the mountains. The plan was for Joe to spend some time scoping out some Chiropractic practices. But, it was also a good opportunity to use it as a little vacation. We enjoyed every minute of our time there, in spite of two whole days of dense FOG. The funny thing about that is that we were planning to check out the town of Evergreen (a highly recommended community), and the fog was so thick we could barely see in front of our van, let alone the town! Hmmmm-had to wonder if SOMEBODY was trying to tell us something....Didn't even get to fully enjoy the mountainous scenery for a couple of days! Needless to say, we couldn't check out the town. But, the kids loved all the rock climbing, Joe was able to add two more job opportunities to his list, and I enjoyed all the compliments we received on our well-behave children! (Yep, that made me feel so successful.) It was just fun to see our kids enjoying everything we did: from shopping in old mining towns, to eating breakfast at the hotel buffets to hiking rocky mountains on foot and by van! I think they like the feeling of exploring new places together as well. So. the time we spent together was invaluable: exploring unknown roads and regions, taking in the magnificent views, taking our time and just enjoying being together on a little adventure. And just for the record: I was surprised at how "rocky" EVERYthing is out there. Our trip was back was a re-awakening to the lush beauty of spring in Kansas City!!! There is so much to be said for green grass and trees with green leaves! Humidity is a small price to pay for that, if you ask me. ANYWAY-We had a happy time while we were away, but, as always...there's no place like home!