Darcey ball was just with us listening to chinese music we have.   we were talking about when we saw chinese musicians perform.  and she asked..."were they...like....a Mexican Band?"

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WHAT??!!!!   (I exclaimed)

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She said: "You know what i mean.............like, were they ....like....a MARIACHI BAND?"

O WOW......................   yes darcey........the chinese performers we heard were like a mexican mariachi band.

    What do you guys think?

Currently Watching Babylon 5 - The Complete Second Season By Babylon 5 see related

WOW!!!   We REALLY need to update . . . . . . . .

Currently Listening A Collision By David Crowder Band Maybe the Best CD Ive EVER Heard!!!! FREAKIN SERIOUS see related

We wanna share with all you about our amazingly blessed trip to Yellowstone National Park with Daves family.  So, we figure the best way to tell the story is to give you TONS of pictures...im serious!!  Whatdoyathink?  OK, lets get started

Most of these Pics are taken by Dan, because on the 2nd day of the trip, my camera broke.  I was ticked.   So i promptly sent it off for warranty service as soon as I got home.  However, Jenn and my mom also took some pics.... so we came home with a LOT of good ones.  Here Goes....

As all trips do, this one started in the CAR.  We took 2 cars, and lotsa the time Dan rode with us...he had his laptop, and so we used that to listen to music through the FM radio and play movies

We went down to Colorado Springs first to see Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods.  Here's Jenn at Garden of the Gods in a cool rock thing.

And another of Dave and Dan climbing way up in one.  We had to stop because the were a LOT of pidgens in there!

The next day we took the Cog Train up Pikes Peak.....and took a picture at the top!  It was Really cool!

Check out dan's pimpin camera!

This was taken at nearby Seven Falls (this is where my camera decided to stop working)

The next day we headed to Jackson Hole, WY to see the Tetons!  Way cool lookin mountains.  We decided to hike around Jenny Lake to see Hidden Falls.  The whole hike it looked like a storm, and it rained on us sometimes.  It was AWESOME.   Pretty leaves.

Here's the lower part of Hidden Falls....can you spot the dork in this picture?

And here's us beside it looking sweet

Doesnt Dan look awkward?

Then after we got back from our hike....an AMAZING Storm rolled over the mountains.  These pics won't do it justice at ALL. 

And the AMAZING Double rainbow that followed!!!!!!

Check out this panoramic collage of 5 pics Dan made

........and the AMAZING Sunset that followed......

The storm had knocked out the power in the area, so none of the restaurants were open for dinner.....so we headed to a little grocery story by Jackson Lake to get stuff to make spaghetti.....and saw this beautiful scene over Jackson Lake

The next day we headed into Yellowstone where we stayed the next four nights.  What a COOL PLACE.  One night, we went outside at like 3am and watched the Perseid Meteor Shower....it ROCKED!!!  And dan got some WAY COOL long-exposure star trail pictures

We also went to the geyser basin and saw a LOT of them going off.  We were REALLY lucky!  Unnaturally lucky!   We even saw one that hadnt gone off in like 3 months!!  This one below is Beehive Geyser

And Old Faithful at sunset

We also went to Tower Falls....and the trail was closed because of washouts, but we went anyway....and it was amazing, we had the whole falls to ourselves!!!!  We took the opportunity to take some beautiful pics

We also saw a marmot

Many chipmunks & ground squirrels

......and lotsa big elk and bison (see a bit farther down for that pic)
 

.....and a really pretty Bee

And, of course, we couldnt miss the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, with its amazing lower falls......

...or those really wierd mudpots

The day we left, we left at sunrise, and saw some beautiful scenery, including buffalo swimming across a steamy lake......SO COOL

And stopped by Mt. Rushmore on the way home

All in all.....an AMAZING trip....filled with beauty, steap climbs, and reminders that God is ultimately in control of everything.......how cool! (hows THAT for a long, picture-ness post!!)

Jenn starts her final year of K-State classes Monday and I start my House Seminary classes Monday as well!

LET US KNOW WHICH PIC YOU LIKED THE BEST!!!!!

Currently Reading How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth By Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart see related

WE'RE BACK!!! 

To help this post flow, I've decided to answer some questions undoubtably burning on your hearts.

1) How was your summer?
          Welp, thats a hard question to answer.  To be honest, it was hard and good.  If you're interested in more details we would love to talk to you more about it.  But, for now how about a nutshell.  (How did I get in this nutshell?)     It was hard in that we had some difficult issues within our team.  That kinda stuff just happens.  But Father is faithful and continues to care for us.  It was good in that we were able to accomplish what we knew He was calling us to do.  We loved up on people, made good friends, and shared Truth.  Jenn and I loved the people and the city and wonder if Father might be calling us to pour our lives there someday.  Kinda cool huh?!    How was that for a nutshell?

Here are a few pics from the summer.  The first is me and Jenn at a city park, and the second is a night pic I took of a totem-pole kinda monument in the center of one of the big city squares.

2) Are you glad to be back? 
             Yah, we sure are.  We loved being overseas this summer.  And, frankly, in many ways, we didn't want to come back.  But comming home has been so encouraging.  Being able to spend quality time with family and friends has been invaluable.   Father has used it to really encourage and uplift us.  Not to mention that upon returning home, we have been blessed by our families with AMAZING FOOD!   THANK YOU GUYS SO SO MUCH!!!    Also, Jenn and I have (since last wednesday) been also able to spend some much-needed quality time together since we have returned to Manhattan.  We celebrated our One Year Aniversary yesterday (even though it was actually July 24th).  Wanna know what we did?.....check out question #5!  In Short, we are SO EXCITED to be back and are longing to reconnect with our friends and loved ones and find out what God has for us this fall.

3) Well, what's the plan now?  What are you Geldarts doing this fall?
               God is really blessing us with this down/relax time.  He worked it out that I don't have to return to work at Target until August 17th!!!  That is letting us process the summer, readjust to life here, and RELAX.  He is also blessing us with the opportunity to vacation next week with my family to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming!!!!!!!!!  (pictures below taken 3 years ago when I (Dave) backpacked and hiked the area with Doug Armknecht, my intelligent friend)

          We are SO PUMPED about this unlooked-for chance to recharge before the fall semester starts.  This fall, Jenn will be starting her final year at K-State to get her Elementary Education degree.  We will continue living at our current address in Jardine Apartments this next school-year because Jenn will still be a student.  I (Dave) graduated in May and will be starting taking seminary classes this fall at Emmanuel House Seminary here in Manhattan.  Jenn will also be able to be a part of anything I do at the seminary for free since she is my spouse!  Cool huh!  We are excited to build new and deep friendships through this experience.  Wanna be our friends???!!   I will also continue working at Target while taking seminary classes.

4) Didnt Dave have a birthday recently?  Get anything cool?
         Yep, I did have a birthday!  July 21st!!  I am now 24 years old.....wow.  dosent really feel much different than 23....go fig.  Actually yes, God has blessed me with amazingly generous family.  My parents gave me 6 months health insurance!!  (a VERY Practical blessing!)    Jenn's mom got a new car so she gave us her old one ('old'=2002).  We actually swapped her for our '95 GrandAm so she could sell it and make a little $ for her new car payments.  So now we have a 2002 red 2-door Chev. Cavalier!  WOW.  And also, my brother is so cool and gave me his nice manual digital camera before I left for the summer!!  Thank you SO MUCH dan!  you are so generous, and a great brother!     All that and some cool cash from other family which will allow us to go to Yellowstone make up an amazing birthday!  My mom made my favorite foods....I won't anger you by telling details or showing pictures.    Oh, and then my brother (who now has an AMAZING digital SLR [Nikon D70] camera) and I went out and took some cool pictures together.  That was SO FUN!

Here's some of the pics:  1) Dan   2) Some pretty flowers   3) Me and Jenn with a cool-orange moon behind us!   4) A Way cool pic Dan took of the stars over Kansas (around 300th and Pflumn if ya know the area)

5) What did you and Jenn do for you One-Year Anniversary?
       Well, I'll tell you!  We slept in till Almost noon in our living room!  Yep, its like 100 degrees here and our little window AC just cant keep the whole house cool even with the help of a couple fans.  SO, Jenn and I took our matress and put it in our living room, right in front of the AC!  It was heavenly!  Well, we just kinda piddled around all afternoon.....so relaxing.  Then we got dressed up and went to Harry's Uptown (a fancy restaurant).  We had a private little booth with a candle.  We had delicious spicy crab cakes for appitizers, salad and bread, then the main course!!  I had the special.  IVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SAY THAT!!   It was a cajun spiced steak with amazing garlic mashed potatoes and sauted green beans.  Jenn had the smoked chicken.....oh WOW!   It was great!    Then we rented 'Airplane' and went home.  We watched the movie while eating Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream and later some popcorn.  Finally we enjoyed sparking grape juice in our wedding toast-glasses and headed out to the countryside.  We went to our favorite place.  Its a hill with a wooden cross at the top...... beside a little cemetary.....far enough away to only hear the wind!  We watched stars and I took some night pictures.  Jenn saw more shooting stars than me.  Here's one of my pics. Can you find the big dipper?

OK.  Thats a long post.  Sorry.  Let us know if you have any more questions!!  More to come later....and, as always, your comments are really enjoyed!  MUCH LOVE,    ~Dave and Jenn

Currently Reading Piercing the Darkness By Frank E. Peretti see related

OK, so now its Tuesday of FINALS WEEK!!  I will officially be done with College after my last final on Friday!!!  Then its home in KC for a week then off to orientation and then to East Asia!    we are so excited!   Here's a praise: we were about $1,700 short on fundraising as of a couple days ago and letters had pretty much stopped comming in for a couple weeks.  BUT, we kept praying and trustin God and He is providing.  Almost a thousand dollars came in in just ONE DAY!  Now we're just about $500 short.  Please lift us up that God will provide the last little bit.  

We are VERY BUSY taking finals, finishing up work, and trying to tie up al the loose ends here State side before we leave for 2 months.  There are a LOT of loose ends to tie up.  WOW!  Also, I (Dave) have been sick with a sinus infection the last 4 ot 5 days.  Poopie.  Im strating to get better now, but it's a hard time to be sick.  Pray that Id be all well for our orientation week! 

We love you all and love to hear from you.  Keep us in your prayers for the summer if you wouldnt mind.  And please let us know how we can pray for you as you have need.

MUCH LOVE, ~Dave & Jenn

Currently Reading The Way I Was Made By Chris Tomlin see related