Bubapalooza....

Well, our days as groupies are over for now. We got to see bub and the band in Hailey, Boise, and Challis ID, and then we drove off into the sunset towards Montana. Here are some pictures from our time hanging out on the bus,the drive from Boise to Challis, the outdoor festival in Challis, and one of our campsite where we could ride our bikes back and forth to the festival.
The boys hanging out on the bus before the Boise show.
Such a classic bub photo that Joelie took...I love it.




The drive from Boise to Challis was soooo beautiful! At one point during the drive Joelie said, " I hope things get uglier soon, I don't know if my heart can take much more of this." I hope I never forget these moments when Joel feels so full of joy that he could burst. Of course not every moment is perfect (car sickness was my reason for hoping the scenery changed soon:), but overall the oohing and aahing over backwoods cabins, making each other laugh by saying the most ridiculous things when we start to get bored, stopping at a gas station to get treats right after having a serious conversation about the need to "eat more whole foods", watching my husband and my brother laughing and loving music together...it has all made for some pretty wonderful days.





After saying our goodbye's to bub and thanking him for a wonderful groupie experience, we headed out from the festival towards Missoula, Montana. We got here late last night tired and a bit sunburned only to find there was no room at the inn. No room at any inns in town, in fact. A really nice lady from Super 8 called a place 4 miles out of town and he said that he had one more room, couldn't vouch for its cleanliness, and that he would only be here for thirty more minutes and wasn't waiting around--yikes!! We zipped out of town and hoped for the best. We pulled in and a man with a hunting cap and alarmingly large belly told us that the room was still available--whew! I asked hesitantly if they had wireless internet, and he said, "Wireless internet.I think they may have hooked that up last week." I was a little dubious but you never know. We got to our room, which was in fact clean, and I pulled out the laptop and tried. What do you know?! So, I happily checked my e-mail and then we fell into bed thankful not to be sleeping in the car. We had a wonderful nights sleep and woke up to find that this little motel is surrounded by beautiful green mountains! We decided to stay here again tonight since it's clean, cheap and not far from the town we are so ready to explore. So off we go...I'll let you know what we find.Jen

Oh Boise!

We are, right this minute, sitting in a coffee shop in Boise Idaho! We are officially groupies following Bub and his band around (well,mostly bub:)on a road trip through Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.We have been wanting to travel through these states for quite a while now, and what better time to do it then when we can hang out with my bub along the way. We were in Hailey, ID last night and watched them play at Brice Willis's club, The Mint. We even got to go backstage and on the bus :) I will post of picture of the club, but unfortunately I took the picture this morning and "Cross Canadian Ragweed" was already off of the marquee and some other group is up there. Anyhoo, you get the picture. It was such a cute mountain town. I had decided to move there until I picked up a real estate magazine and saw how outrageously expensive it is--yikes!! Anyway, we had a great time. The band had to leave right after the show and so we got to stay in their hotel room (that they hadn't even used) for free--it even had a jacuzzi in it:) Then we ate breakfast at a cafe, went to the cutest childrens' shop ever called " Polka Dot". Friends of mine with babies and kids, know that I wanted to buy them everything in that store! If I ever win the lottery I will go back and do just that:) So anyway, after Montana we'll go down to Colorado for Joel's cousin Michael's wedding and then make our way home on Saturday,the 19th! I am sooo excited to be on this trip and have so much time with Joelie--I'll try to post pictures along the way. Hope you all are doing well and enjoying these last days of summer, Jen
Joelie looking at the map in front of the hotel.Don't be fooled by this picture-- there is only one cool mountain biker in the family--but, hey, I have to at least try!
Our wonderfully free hotel--what an unexpected gift!!
The cutest store ever! Wooden toys galore,children's costumes with rich colors and beautiful fabric, fun hats and shoes, ribbon,cards...too much fun!
This is "The Mint" where the band played. Apparently the crowd stank but I had a grand time sitting in a comfy booth where I could see the crazy crowd, bub working away with the guitars, etc. , and the band all at the same time:)
So I guess these are the hanging baskets you get in your town if you pay a bizillion dollars to live there:) Aren't they beautiful?!
That's all for now folks...I'm off to dinner with the Joels:)

Bub

We got to see bub (aka: Joel Schoepf Jr.) !!! I didn’t get to see him in TX as he was on the road so I was so excited to learn that he was going to be in Utah with the band he works for. They got here on Friday afternoon and Joelie was passed out after an all night study session and so I drove and picked bub up and he got to come and see the house. I was so in love with him being there that I forgot to take pictures:( but it was so wonderful to show him our new turf.
Joelie woke up shouting “Buuuuuuuub!!!!” when we walked in the room and we went and ate at a great Thai place down the street. Then we went with him to the show and got to see him in action.
I tell ya, he is pretty amazing and I sure hope these bands know what they’re getting when they hire him!! Bub is a caretaker and so loyal and hardworking and he works the whole show making sure the band has the right ,tuned guitars on stage for each song, that the fans don’t get too rowdy and knock over equipment, and on and on. He also makes sure his sister has a place to sit down away from the craziness as he knows that drinking, wild crowds are her hell:)I know that we saw only a fraction of his job too, there is much, much more that he does to make sure things run smoothly. Really, I am always amazed at his hospitality and nurturing heart. Just watch him sometime with babies or elderly people and see if it doesn’t make you cry! Needless to say we had a wonderful time and I even like getting to see that whole rock-star scene once in a while. Of course, I high tail it back to my calm, quiet life but it’s fun to observe and especially since its such a big part of both my brother’s lives. Funny how the three of us are so entirely different and yet love each other so completely.
Well, while I’m on the subject of bub, let me introduce you to his sweet fiancé Robin (hi Robin!).
Robin is also in the music industry and so they have much in common. More importantly, she is kind and sincere, and loves Joel with all her heart. They are one of the most hospitable couples I have ever met. They both love people and it shows. Welcome to the family Robin!
More on my TX trip soon and very soon, Jen

I miss you I believe....

Though it does feel so good to be back in our little home with my Joelie starting to tutor and get back in the swing of things...I do feel a bit alone. Constant rich companionship makes it feel funny to be by myself so much. So many good things have happened, though, in these two days at home. Things that never happen. For example, here was the picture last night in our kitchen...

I was home, alone indeed, but cooking. Yes,me, I was making something! I made lentil and spinach soup and cornbread. Not only that, but there was a cat laying in my hallway watching me. Now, those who know me well know that my heart's desire is to have "cats and babies round my feet where all are fat and none are thin(love that carol King:)" and so it was really a joy to see this kitty curled in the hall. She has been a stray here for a while but yesterday worked up the courage to come inside and have a bite to eat and a good, long nap.I have wanted a cat for so long but Joel is allergic to some cats and hates their fur and i was never big on the thought of a litter box--yuck! I think he bonded with this one while I was away, though, because he encouraged me to let her in! Anyway, Brandi Carlyle's voice was wafting up from the basement and one of her songs said, "I'm happy, can't you see, I'm alright but I miss you I believe." Just how I feel, I thought to myself. To make a good, healthy dinner felt so good, and having this little companion was great, and seeing Joelie's face late at night when he came home from studying was so sweet and having fun conversations with my students is always wonderful....but I do miss all of that loveliness in Texas...here is a picture of my lentil yumminess from last night and one of mom and I. Oh, and don't tell joel, but one of kitty who is at this moment curled up at my feet in bed:)More pictures from TX coming soon...

Lovely Indeed...

Lovely indeed are my memories from this summer vacation. I’ll give them to you slowly as I take time to savor my trip. For the first five days of the trip I just relaxed with mom and dad at their new house by the river.We decorated, organized, read, laid by the river, floated in the river, laughed, ate, talked, walked...it was so restful and fun.


Then on Thursday I went to Seguin where I worked last year in the Adult Ed department. This began a wonderful weekend full of friends.
First, my trip to Seguin to see my ESL students…
Generous in spirit and expressive in their words and deeds is how I would describe this precious group(don’t believe for a second the “tough guy” poses of the two in front). They continually make me feel loved and cherished and I treasure my time with them. Thank you for loving me, you sweet students!
Also on my trip to Seguin I got to see my sweet friend Sharon who now teaches these students. What a completely selfless thing for her to help them keep in touch with me! She and Judy(who also worked in the Adult Ed department with us) and I had such a great reunion (I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of you Judye!) . We only had a small chunk of time but instantly were chatting as if I never left. A few days later Judye and I visited Carolyn (again, a former Adult Ed buddy!) and got to see her cutie patootie granddaughters. I miss these Seguin women—what wonderful friends they are!!

Next, I got to see Elizabeth and baby Cambria. Elizabeth is a friend that I met in Hawaii and will be forever friends with. Elizabeth says things that seem to come straight from the deepest part of my heart but I have never articulated before. It is wonderful to have a friend who shares the same heart values and desires. Her husband Jason and Joelie are such great friends as well and that is such a gift for the four of us to have such a bond.What a sweet time we had in Saledo.

My friend Jennifer and her momma Jami came and brought baby Mia with them to Wimberley. We had such a great time catching up, shopping in town, playing with Mia….Jennifer and I have been friends since the 6th grade. She was the beautiful , mysterious one and I was the ragamuffin brutally honest one and somehow we just fit together. What a privilege to get to see her a new, wonderful mommy!

Stay tuned for pictures of my soon to be sisters in love, my Shanny sis in love, and much more:) Jen

Where I am...

I am where the Texas sun shines bright and makes the cool river feel like paradise. Where Barney the basset hound and mama kitty are always around.
Where my ESL students make a feast for my arrival and I feel so loved and so full of love for them that I could burst.
Where mom and dad and I read and read and laugh and watch episode after episode of "Baby Story" and "What Not to Wear" and eat ice cream almost every night.
I am where my good friends are...friends that know my heart and I know theirs and it is so comforting to me to exchange thoughts and dreams and laughter with them again. Where i get to hold their new babies and see them as mommies.
I am in Texas, the place that I was born and holds all of these familiar and beloved people and places. I am trying to cherish this time as much as I can...to soak up each person, each conversation, each experience.
I am where my sweet man is not. I miss him and wish he were here continuously, but know that soon I will be back to where he is, which is truly my home. Jen

Mom's fingerprints...

Mom always leaves our home and hearts more beautiful than when she came. Here are just a few evidences of that...




Our little cottage finally has some flowers around it! I love waking up in the morning and seeing these beautiful flowers when I look out the windows!!
Inside the house I am now be surrounded by pictures of the ones I love...


Here is the most perfect rocking chair that I got for my birthday(sorry for the dying flowers in the background...I'll let go of them tomorrow I promise:)
It's the perfect reading corner now.

So, thanks mom for all of the time you spend making your children's lives more beautiful, more whole. I always feel so confidently me whenever you are around.

Well, mom left Thursday morning and Thursday evening we had visitors from Hawaii! We were sooo excited to have out good friends the Lomonts come and stay the night with us on their way from vacation road trip spanning from Arizona to Oregon. We had such a great time with them catching up on Hawaii friends and memories. They are one adventurous family! Its Brett and Kathy and their two teenage sons Sean and Josh. I remarked to Joel how respectful Sean and Josh were to their parents and how that teenage "we're too cool to like our parents" attitude didn't seem to be there. His response was that he had observed how respectful Brett and Kathy were to their kids--meaning that they really enjoyed them and didn't treat them like annoying teenagers. Very true. It was good to see. We miss you guys!

Friday brought my last working day at the English Language Institute for the summer session. I'm ready for a break! We start again on August 22nd and I'm scheduled to teach 2 classes. What a learning experience this has been. I am very thankful for the opportunity but a bit overwhelmed to jump into such an academic setting.I love getting to experience the different cultures that this program attracts, though, and getting to see a whole new side of the ESL world will keep me there despite my feeling inadequate.

Tomorrow morning I am leaving for a 16 day trip to TX. I am really excited to see my friends, my friends' new babies, my family of course,my favorite animals Barney the basset hound and Mama kitty, my ESL students from Seguin...I think it's going to be one great trip! I'm sad to leave Joelie though. We are such a part of each other, it just feels unnatural to be without him. So, I'm going to go now and spend some time with my love. Pack too, I must pack:) Hopefully I'll be seeing some of you soon and to the rest of you, I hope your summer is restful and that you are enjoying each day.Jen

Islands, bird shows, and Strawberry Shortcake--It's been a busy week!

Mom and I went with my ESL class to Antelope Island. It is an island on the Great Salt Lake and we had a great time exploring it. We hiked, saw lots of buffalo, learned about it's history, and had a fun time chatting with the students. Oh, and we did this...
I may look calm and happy holding this harmless snake but I was FREAKING out inside. I had to be brave for the students so this was my "everything is fine, I love holding snakes" face:) One of them freaked out and screamed bloody murder and ran away--that's really how I was feeling inside.
Here's the crew.
Mom, on the other hand, "used to play with snakes all the time when she was little" and didn't mind at all that it was slithering towards her face!
Mom,dad and I went to the Tracy Bird Aviary which is at the park across the street. It was really fun and this is mom and dad at the bird show. Many of you know how much mom loves flamingos, so you can imagine how excited she was to find this visor in the gift shop.She has never been afraid of wearing "daring" headgear. Think reindeer antlers with blinking lights for Christmas:)
Mom and dad with the flamingos.
Then there was my surprise Strawberry Shortcake birthday party. It was a bit early but we wanted to celebrate before dad left. It was so much fun and I got some fabulous gifts that I'll show you once I take some pictures of them. The party included lots of KFC. Hey, it's my party and I can eat KFC if I want to!:)My grandma always wanted KFC for her birthday party and I figure someone must carry on the tradition. Plus, I love it. There, I admitted it.
Dad at the party:)
More birthday decor. Those are delicious chocolate dipped strawberries to go with the theme----so cute!

Sorry it took so long for me to update, oh loyal readers, but we've been busy as you can see! Hope you enjoyed the little picture journal of our adventures...I would write more but it's late and I'm sleepy so I'll try and write again soon, Jenny

A walk in the park...

What a joy to be with mom and dad in our new home and new life. The house now smells like coffee and candles, giggles from the girls abound, and adventures are around every corner. For example...

Mom and I went for a walk in the park across the street on Sunday evening. Immediately upon entering the park we heard loud hip hop music and saw that a graffiti contest was going on. Then, under a pavilion, mom spied break dancers and said, " Oh, I love break dancers! Let's go watch." I looked at mom in her bright pink running shorts and me in my capri jogging pants. We are straight from OldNavyland. She doesn't even think about that. We march straight up to the break dancing circle to sit down and watch. It was really fun and little did I know that this was just the beginning of our adventure in the park...it would take forever to document it all, but in one lap around the place we saw break dancers, pink flamingoes, a hippy drum circle complete with hulahoopers and fire dancers, a bag pipe player who was ever elusive and who we only found after mom spied his bagpipe sticking up over a bush, and oh so many more random things. I truly don't know if things like this go on in the park all of the time and I am just oblivious to it with my head phones on, or if it really was a crazy night in the park. I have a feeling things like that abound and because mom is so brave and willing to jump into experiences that I would only watch from afar, we got to experience it. It was so random and wonderful and totally classic mom time.

We have done many more things such as read bunches, go for a picnic by a rushing river, drive along the most beautiful stretch of road in the world, thrift store shopping, garage saleing, talking into the wee hours of the morning, eating good food,and discovering a syndrome called PYS that Joel claims to have. That would be Pre Garage Saleing syndrome:)

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip so far...

The Hunt Hotel...

Mom and dad are in route to Salt Lake City! We are so excited and scurrying around like mice to get everything ready. Well, at least one of us is...

I left to go tutor one of my students, but gave Joel specific instructions on what I needed him to do in the guest room while I was gone. I don't think "take a nap in the guests' bed" was on the list:)
If you haven't heard Joel's big news, click on the "Joelie's blog" link to the right and you can read about it. Then you'll understand why he especially needs rest right now with all of his new responsibilities:)
Guess that's all for now. I've got a bathtub to scrub,a guest room to prepare, flowers to buy....I'll try to keep this updated with our adventures with the folks during their stay at the Hunt Hotel!