Ohio

This weekend we took a trip to Ohio! It was Julio's fall break and we were invited by Faith Covenant Church to come and talk about ministry in Colombia during their mission's fair. So, we took an extra day and stopped in New Paris to visit our friends Kathy and Natalie and their dog, Molly. We were excited to have some time to hang out with them and enjoy life in a small town. They were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed yummy food, good conversation, playing games, an outing to the park, etc. Sam was crazy excited to play with the dog!!

Sam enjoyed playing with "grammy" - Kathy's mom, Jane

Katie, Kathy, Jane

After spending time with the Brawleys we drove another 2 hours to Columbus, Ohio. We stayed with a wonderful family, the Ericksons, and loved getting to know them. On Saturday night, the church hosted a Colombian fiesta, complete with appetizers and dinner. After dinner, we gave a 45 minute presentation about Colombia and the ministry of the Covenant Church in Colombia. People had great questions and we enjoyed the chance to interact with them. On Sunday morning Julio spoke during the service and then we headed home after lunch.

Sam enjoying the fiesta

A great display, with letters from children at the church to children in Colombia

Enjoying "arroz con pollo" - chicken with rice

Julio and I each spent time talking about the various ministries in Colombia, Sam went and played in the nursery.

Dee and Dave Erickson, our wonderful hosts

It was a great weekend! We loved seeing the colors of the leaves as we drove through the countryside.

The dancer

So, I guess Sam takes after his mom in that he loves to dance. For about a month or so now, he has figured out how to turn on our clock radio (which is really old school!) and he has found a station that plays traditional Mexican music. He goes crazy spinning and dancing. It's his favorite thing to do first thing in the morning.

Pumpkins

Since fall seems to be coming to an end quickly, I thought we better get out and enjoy the nice weather while we can. So, on Sunday, after church and a nice lunch with friends, we drove about 45 min. out of the city and went to a farm to pick out a pumpkin! It was actually a cool day, but that made that hot apple cider taste even better! Sam didn't really know what to think about the pumpkins. He wandered around, mostly enjoying climbing on the jumbo play equipment they had and watching the ponies.

Julio and I enjoyed the apple pie and apple cider! It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Staff outing

Last week we had a little staff outing/retreat. It was so wonderful to get out of the office and have some time to be together in a different setting. We actually got to spend the evening downtown! We went on a fun architectural boat tour on the river; our friend Bruce drove the boat! Then we had a nice dinner in Millennium Park. It was a chilly evening, but still beautiful.

My co-workers/friends

One of my favorite buildings

Amazing architecture

In Millennium Park

The Bean!

Photo Session

So, the other day we decided to have a little fun and have a mini photo shoot with Sam. I wanted some updated pictures, and he was in such a good mood. Here are some of the fun pics. We can't believe he's almost two!