The Ogdens

Update - long overdue...

2011-05-15T16:51:00.005-04:00

Well, it has been awhile....but not without reason! We are finally in our beautiful home at River Valley Ranch (and LOVING it) but we don't have internet and the times that I get to even check my email are few and far between! Right now I'm perched on a cabin porch watching Ben and Adriel play in the creek :) Our little munchkin is quite the outdoors girl and lives to run barefoot through the grass and put her feet in the creek. Luckily we live in a place that is perfect for doing just that! We love life at the ranch and Ben continues to enjoy his job immensely. We are indeed blessed. Here are some pics of our recent adventures....

Summer is coming.....

Dancing with Daddy at a wedding....

Mama's turn.....

The girl just loves to dance!

Petting horses is one of her favorites!

Lunch with a view!

Hugs from Uncle Doug

Our new home!

Adriel's new favorite activity

Playing on our deck

Daddy's girl!

Adriel's First Birthday

2011-02-10T21:30:00.005-05:00

Opening presents!

She was super excited about this one...

Elmo is her favorite!

A big girl fork and spoon!

She is a pro at anything that has to do with eating....

Daddy helping her open presents

Someone told her to put the bow on her head

Giving kisses!

She has no idea what's going on....

Figuring it out...

First bite!

We think she liked it...

"Say Ahhhhhhh"

One of our many snowstorms

Ben using the snowblower (and loving it!)...you'd never know he was a Florida boy

Beauty

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-18T13:45:00.005-05:00

New Year's Eve Date Night!

Adriel trying on Mommy's hats

Our little Diva

The girls

Chilaxin in her jammies

First time sledding!

House update...

2011-01-04T11:16:00.002-05:00

Well, we are still not in our house, but it looks like it should only be a couple more weeks now! We are so ready to be living at RVR! Ben is LOVING his job there and we'll get to see a whole lot more of him once we're all living out there. Here is the most recent pic we have of the house!

Adriel's First Christmas

2010-12-29T15:48:00.004-05:00

Let the pictures tell the story......

Checking out her presents on Christmas morning

Opening her first present...she was psyched!

Showing off her present opening skills

Modeling her new hat and mittens

Ooooh...this is a big one!

First Christmas as a family of three!

Daddy hang time!

Learning to play the mandolin

Being silly

Going for a ride

Mittens from Aunt Jenn!

Loves to read!

Playing peek a boo

Opening the present that Ben picked out for her

Thanksgiving in the OBX!

2010-11-29T11:43:00.007-05:00

Adriel learning how to play pool

She loved having her cousins there to wake her up after nap time

Playing with cousins

Touchdown!!!!

Swingin!

Looks like the beach...but it was the sand volleyball court behind our house!

Morning play time

Some of the kids.....

Time to bake pies!

Our adorable nieces

Story time with Aunt Angie!

Tuckered out....ya can't blame her...

Goin for a ride!

With Papa O!

The girls!

With Uncle Cal!

Brothers and their girls

Thanksgiving meal time!

The kids' table

A dance party! It's kind of dark...but you'll get the idea

Recent happenings....

2010-11-18T15:54:00.006-05:00

It's getting colder (MUCH colder) and we are getting into the Christmas spirit, so we decided to go on a family date down to Baltimore's Inner Harbor to see the lights and do some shopping! The place was all abuzz with activity including a tuba band (weird) playing Christmas music in the FREEZING cold. After hanging out at the harbor, we went to see the lights on Baltimore's own 34th street where a whole block of row homes gets completely decked out for Christmas! It's a huge local attraction and we had fun showing Adriel all of the lights and drinking the free hot chocolate they were giving out! We are loving having her with us for her first Christmas season!

Ready for a winter outing!

At the Harbor

So cute in her hat!

In front of Santa's house

"Santa's Place" at the Harbor

Giving kisses on 34th Street

The girls! We were SO cold!

Family photo op

Going for a ride

Playing in the "fort" that Daddy built!

She was loving it!

So was Ben!

Adriel's newest dance move

Recent life of the MD Ogdens...

2010-11-03T16:06:00.004-04:00

Ben was supposed to be getting her ready for bed...hmmmmm....

Loves when Daddy plays his guitar

They both get that glazed look in their eyes when the TV is on...

Where Ben spends many of his days...in the trees!

Our soon to be home!

Adriel pointing to her new house

One of the views from the house...

Another view.....beautiful! And in the middle of nowhere!

The back...soon it will have a deck and a porch!
Excited about the house....notice the nearby horses...

Making friends with our new neighbor....

Our cowgirl in training!

Adriel conquering her bumbo chair....

Changes!

2010-10-14T14:47:00.004-04:00

In case you were wondering, moving with an active 8 month old isn't exactly fun. :/ We are officially out of our apartment and into the home of a very gracious couple from our church while we wait for the house at RVR to be ready. We're not sure of a time frame yet, but we're hoping within the next couple of months we will be in our new home! Moving was exhausting, especially since we had to paint our apartment back to white. (ugh) But we are finally settled and Adriel has adjusted well. Ben continues to love his job, though it's a super busy season for him right now. Luckily, Adriel and I are able to tag along on some of the days he's working and spend some time with him. There are lots of fabulous families at the ranch that let us hang out and grab nap times in their homes while we are out there. We can hardly wait to live there full time! Pray that it happens soon!

Wagon ride with her favorite friend Ava!

Can anyone tell me what color my eyes are?!?!

"I wanna play outside!"

Entertaining herself in the kitchen

Helping Mom do laundry

"This is way more fun!"

Making sure we don't forget her in the big move!

Relaxing with Daddy in her new (temporary) home

She gets a little distracted here, but she really is good at turning pages!

Weekend Fun

2010-09-20T21:03:00.005-04:00

Ben and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this past weekend and we had a blast! The night of our actual anniversary, I surprised him with an at home "formal" dinner while a friend watched Adriel. Saturday, we took off to stay the night right outside of DC and got to take Adriel to the DC Zoo. It was a beautiful day and we had fun showing her the animals and taking her on the metro for the first time. I'm pretty sure, however, that she was more interested in the crowds of people and kids than in the animals....but at least it was free and the weather was gorgeous! (we are loving the beginnings of Fall!) During the next few weeks, we will be packing up our apartment and getting ready for our move! *insert exhausted sigh here*

Coming after the camera

I guess she was really interested in socks...she's been barefoot all summer!

Cruisin'

Into everything!

She really loves this computer....

Exercising with Daddy!

Happy Anniversary to us! :)

Ben and Adriel watching an elephant

The girls!

Tuckered out on the metro

"Hmmmmm....what should I order?"

Attempting a family photo.....

My little love!

Our recent life....

2010-09-14T15:51:00.005-04:00

Ben has jumped into his new job at RVR with both feet and is loving it! He gets to do such a wide variety of things which is just perfect for his personality! I am staying at home with Adriel and loving every moment...especially since she seems to change so much day by day! Her newest accomplishment is pulling herself up which she attempts to do on everything now! I think we'll have an early walker on our hands.... :( I'm not ready for this! We are really enjoying the cooler weather and are taking lots of walks and spending as much time outdoors as possible! Our 5 year anniversary is this weekend so we are looking forward to celebrating that. We love being married and we love being a family! We are indeed blessed.

Loves brushing her teeth!

Maybe we should get her her own toothbrush! Ben keeps giving her mine...

"What Mom? Am I in trouble?"

Loves the computer!

Practicing her standing abilities...

Not quite tall enough...

Tuckered out

"Look at me!"

Having fun with Daddy

She adores him!

This One's a Doozie.....

2010-08-17T21:03:00.007-04:00

Life is moving at a fast pace and we are just trying to keep up. Adriel is changing so much with every day and it is so much fun watching her grow and learn. She's also getting a little more hair every day which is fabulous. :) For those of you that haven't heard, Ben accepted a position at River Valley Ranch as their Outdoor Education Director. We'll be moving out to the ranch in September or October..... I have officially quit teaching and will get to stay home with Adriel! I am SO grateful and excited to have the opportunity to stay home with her and it is a huge answer to prayer. Ben is excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead and we are looking forward to this big life change for us!

We've gotten to do lots of fun things over the past few weeks which include a visit from Ben's brother Chris and wife Nikki, a weekend in Annapolis (one of our absolute favorite cities) and a weekend at the beach with some good friends. The pictures tell the story - so enjoy. :)

My silly girl

Story time with Daddy

She loves watching Daddy shave!

A personal concert from Uncle Elijah

Starting early.....

At our friends beach house

Chillin with Daddy at the beach

Buried in the sand by her Daddy

First time seeing the ocean!!!

Adriel and her favorite friend Ava!

We found the coolest Starbucks in Annapolis! Adriel is already a fan!

At the water in Annapolis

Dinner in Annapolis

Italian Film Festival with Chris and Nikki!

Summer Life

2010-07-23T15:59:00.003-04:00

Well, our lazy summer days have been anything but lazy! We are much busier than we generally care to be, but we keep reminding ourselves that it is only for a season. :) I am teaching summer school at a special school for kids who have severe disabilities. I actually love it and have a fabulous assistant that makes the days a lot of fun. I hate to leave Adriel every day, but working half days at a job that I enjoy is a pretty sweet gig if I can't stay home with her. Ben is back in the swing of lawn care/landscaping now that we've gotten some rain and he enjoys it since he gets to work with good friends and get his florida tan back. He has also been leading worship out at River Valley Ranch three nights a week, so we have been spending a lot of time out there this summer. We love the Ranch and Adriel loves it as well since she gets to be outside and see so many new and fun things. Needless to say, we fall into our bed exhausted at the end of our days, but we are loving life and enjoying every moment. Here are some recent pics!

She commandeered Daddy's freeze pop!

Two of her favorite things....standing and the mirror.

Give kisses!

Daddy/daughter love

Me and the munchkin!

So sweet!

Uncle Elijah!

Look at me!!!

Just us.

Chillin on our bed

New Pictures!

2010-07-08T14:30:00.004-04:00

Reading in her Bumbo

Tuckered out at the pool

She loves going to the pool with Daddy!

Bikini Babe!

Loves her Daddy

She sits up!

First Thursday concert in Mt. Vernon

Daddy's hat

Growing Baby

2010-06-22T13:10:00.003-04:00

Adriel seems to be changing by the minute. She is doing new things all the time....the latest being rolling all across the floor as well as sticking her feet in her mouth. School is out, so I am loving being home with her for a couple of weeks before Summer School starts up. Ben is busy with doing lawn care and leading worship at RVR, but he loves every minute he gets to spend with Adriel and she just lights up when she sees him. Here are our latest pics!

Hangin with Uncle Elijah

Adriel at our small group....she's very interested....

She's gonna be smart!

Learning to sit up all by herself!

This is what happens when I leave her alone with her Daddy and Uncle Lige!

Hangin out in her Bumbo...best invention ever!

One of her first eating experiences....

"What are you trying to make me eat?"

Father's Day!

Adriel and Grandpa

Summer Days....well...almost!

2010-06-01T16:22:00.003-04:00

The days of summer are fast approaching and we can hardly wait! We are enjoying the warmer weather and love watching Adriel experience the outdoor activities that we love so much. She seems to love being outside and is always content with it - even when it's just sitting out on our balcony. She seems to change and grow with every passing day, so we are doing our best to enjoy every moment. She is the most precious gift we have ever known.

Showing off her strong standing legs!

Ready for summer days!

Hangin with Daddy on the balcony.

After her first swim!

First time in the pool!

Loving Life....

2010-05-19T18:56:00.003-04:00

We LOVE being parents. :) Adriel is so much fun and we are having a blast watching her grow and change. Ben is an incredible Dad....as we all knew he would be....and Adriel just seems to be completely smitten with him. She gets a big grin on her face whenever she sees him and she loves to listen to him sing and play the guitar. Her latest development is rolling over as well as being SUPER chatty! I think she may have gotten Ben's talkative trait.... ;-) Here are some recent pics!

Hangin with Daddy while he cleans up the kitchen

Thanks to the Bumbo chair, she can sit with us for dinner!

Funny face!!

Dressed up for Uncle Chris and Aunt Nikki's wedding

Bath time!

A Daddy/daughter chat!

Life....

2010-04-29T13:18:00.004-04:00

We are having the time of our lives being parents! We are so in love with Adriel. She has now been on two loooong road trips...one to Georgia for Ben's cousin's wedding and one to Florida for his brother's wedding. She is a FANTASTIC little road tripper and did amazingly the entire time! Good thing with as many road trips as we seem to take! Here are a few recent pictures

Watching a music video...she was into it...

She loves to sit with her hands folded!

Loves her bath time!

Hangin out with Aunt Beth!

Standing is her favorite!

Chillin with the cousins!

Photo Shoot!

New Pictures....

2010-03-20T12:57:00.003-04:00

Daddy and Daughter

"I've got my eye on you...."

First outing to the Inner Harbor!

Family Photo! She wasn't loving it.....

Beautiful.

Hangin in the Harbor....

The girls!

Life with a babe......

2010-03-13T17:43:00.003-05:00

Life as parents for these past several weeks has been amazing.....and exhausting. :) We are absolutely loving life with Adriel and we seem to fall more and more in love with her with each passing day. She will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday and already she looks so different than when we brought her home! She is a hearty eater so she's definitely got some chub on her! We are looking forward to a trip to Georgia for Ben's cousin's wedding and then a trip to Florida for his brother's wedding. It will be fun to get to introduce her to family and friends....and we're sure it will be interesting road tripping with a new born! Luckily she loves the car and always goes right to sleep..... Here are a bunch of recent random pictures!

Her sweater is just a little too big!

Funny face!

Hangin with Daddy

Baby and Mama!

Checkin herself out in the mirror....

Having fun with her toys.....

Bright eyes!

Pondering life....

Loves her Daddy!

Baby Pics....

2010-02-26T15:43:00.005-05:00

Bath Time!

Nap Time!

Story Time!

More nap time.....

Too sweet!

Bringing Home Baby!!!

2010-02-06T14:52:00.006-05:00

We brought Adriel home from the hospital Thursday and are thoroughly enjoying our new adventure of parenting. I'm fortunate to have a few days off work to just be here with my girls. I'm doing my best to take care of both of them and loving every minute of it. Adi has settled into a pretty good routine of sleeping and eating. She usually wakes every 3 hours or so and is ready for "mama time". For the most part we're trying to sleep when she sleeps but we also love to lay near her and just watch her sleep. She is soooo precious.

Our amazing church community is providing meals for the next two weeks so that is a huge blessing. There's so much else to get used to and figure out that it's great not having to worry about what we're going to eat.

On a side note - we're in what local meteorologists are calling the largest snowfall on record. It started Friday afternoon and as of right now (Saturday afternoon) it hasn't stopped. When it's all over we should have 30 inches on the ground. And this from a state that has an average annual snowfall of 18 inches!

I'm sure most of you have seen pics from the hospital but we thought it would be fun to share some from home. Enjoy...

A Baby Burrito!

Adriel Joy Ogden

2010-02-06T13:16:00.002-05:00

Well after much excitement and great anticipation we finally got to meet our precious little wonder. Adriel Joy was born on Tuesday, the 2nd of February at 8:12 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs 2 oz and was 21 inches long. Christina labored through the night and began pushing around 8 o'clock. About 10 minutes and 9 pushes later Adriel was introduced to life on the outside. We are so blessed by her presence. We find ourselves just staring at her in wonder and amazement and incredible gratitude that our Father has shown us such great favor. Adriel captured our heart immediately and we have fallen in love with her.

The Blizzard of 2009.....

2009-12-21T09:56:00.002-05:00

Well, we had our first big snow storm of the season over the weekend! It was absolutely beautiful and gave us a MUCH needed excuse to stay home and do nothing! With all of our free time, we decided to get creative and have a pregnant belly photo shoot. Ben got really into it....and wants to be a photographer now. :) We have lots of baby stuff planned for this week....touring the hospital....meeting with a pediatrician....and we are super excited for the whole family to be here on Saturday! Can't wait to see everyone!!!

Growing by the minute.....

2009-12-07T17:08:00.005-05:00

Well, I seriously feel as though I am getting bigger by the minute! We are at 33 weeks and are getting more and more excited! Adriel is so active these days that sometimes I am sure she is trying to push her way out of my belly! (She may have inherited my tendency to be directionally challenged....uh oh.....) We have been super blessed lately by our church community. Every day in December we have received a package of diapers by a mysterious phenomenon that we refer to as the "diaper fairy". We have also mysteriously received our stroller/car carrier combo, the crib bedding and just today - our glider/ottoman! We are constantly overwhelmed and humbled by how God provides for us and at the amazing love that we receive from our church family. Words do not suffice......

We had our first snow over the weekend! Being snowed in gave us a good excuse to decorate for Christmas and we even got a tree! The last time we got a tree was our first year of marriage when we were living in Florida and it was at least 85 degrees! We were sweating by the time we got it home.....so I was excited to experience it in the colder weather...as it should be experienced. :)

33 weeks and counting......
This is what a "bringing home the tree" picture should look like....

Just a little guy but perfect for us!

Ben and the band he's been playing with at a concert venue

Our small group had a dinner/game night

SNOW!!!!

Our new glider....thanks to our church community.

31 Weeks and Counting.....

2009-11-22T20:10:00.004-05:00

Only 9 more weeks til our due date! We are growing more and more anxious to meet Adriel as the days get closer to her arrival! She is SO active.....rolling around and kicking all the time. I am still feeling good and getting bigger by the minute! So far, I have really been able to enjoy being pregnant! (Not counting the first trimester and the constant nausea....) Ben had an awesome time out in Seattle for the worship leader's conference that he went to. He will be speaking about worship in church next week so that should be fun! We're looking forward to the holidays and getting to spend some time with family as well as taking a break from our jobs! Here are some recent pics......

31 Weeks!

Ben tries to get creative with his picture taking.....

The pumpkins we carved for Halloween!

Ben is super picky when it comes to choosing a pumpkin...

We went pumpkin picking with some of our small group!

The finished products!

The recent life of the MD Ogdens....

2009-11-09T19:19:00.005-05:00

Life is a whirlwind these days! Things are super busy with both of our jobs as well as our church and in the midst of it all we are trying to get ready for our baby girl's arrival! Ben is taking off for a worship leader's conference in Seattle this coming Wednesday through Sunday so he is super excited about that! (But 4 nights apart! It will be the longest we've ever gone.....) Things are going well with our pregnancy and I seem to be getting bigger by the minute! My two best friends along with my Mom and my Aunt threw me a baby shower last weekend so that was super fun! It is simply overwhelming how much stuff we got...and how much stuff we still need! All for this little tiny person! Ben and I are minimalists at heart so we are determined to get only what we need...but babies sure do seem to require a lot! We are loving life though and look forward to sharing more with you as the days go by......

Belly at 27 or 28 weeks.....I forget.....

My baby shower cake!

At my baby shower!

Opening presents......

Oooooh....a must! Or so I hear.....

Trying to get organized....

Ben went rock climbing with some guys from church and had a blast!

Putting together the crib! Yay!

He's good. I think I'll keep him. ;-)

2009-10-28T18:24:00.003-04:00

Just a few pics from our recent life. Most of them are from over the summer and since I'm such a blogging slacker, I am just now getting them on here. Things here are going well, but crazy busy. Ben has been having to work some ridiculous hours for his job (can you say 3:30am until 5pm??? Ridiculous!) He is in the process of looking for a new job. :) Naturally. Adriel is like a tiny little acrobat inside my belly so that has been super fun. We seriously cannot wait to meet her! I seem to be getting bigger by the day so we will have to put some more belly pictures up here soon! Until then.......

Me and my nephew Gabriel!

Visiting the Sterners! Cousins!

Having fun at the Italian Film Festival! We can never get Jenn to look normal......

Going out to dinner on our Babymoon!

At a farmer's market the day we found out we were having a girl!

Going on a date!!! He is so handsome....

Finally.....

2009-09-25T10:44:00.003-04:00

Okay, wow - seriously - we have not blogged in FOREVER! But - we finally have a lap top and soon we will probably break down and start paying to get internet in our home.....finding coffee shops is becoming more and more annoying..... Anyway...here are some belly pictures!!! Not sure why Ben always cuts off my face.....guess its all about the baby now! The first one has my face in it though....he took that just the other day with his phone. OH - and we have finally decided on her FULL name....Adriel Joy Ogden. Another Ogden girl with the initials A.J.! :) Hope all is well with everyone....and hope that some people actually still check this slacker of a blog!

16 weeks

18 weeks

20 weeks

Us on our 4 year anniversary! Yay!

Long time...

2009-09-06T14:52:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I have once again been a serious blogging slacker. I'll be surprised if any of you even still check this thing! But just to keep everyone updated...we're having a GIRL!!!! We are super excited. We have taken a few belly pictures, but don't have a computer right now to be able to upload them. We should be getting one soon though, so I will post some of those soon! :)

News.....

2009-06-30T20:28:00.004-04:00

If you haven't yet heard....we're pregnant! Ten weeks and counting! Due on January 24th....happy birthday to me!!!

The recent life of us....

2009-06-07T15:53:00.008-04:00

The days of summer are finally coming (slowly but surely.....MD weather is CRAZY!) and we can hardly wait for them to get here! I have one more week of teaching left which is intensely exciting! (All of you fellow teachers know exactly what I'm talking about! ) After that I'll be off for three weeks before I start teaching summer school. I'll be working at a school for students that have severe disabilities......it's a bit different from what I do throughout the regular school year, so I'm looking forward to the switch. Ben is busy with work and worship leading and we are still trying to get more involved with playing out at coffee houses. One of our favorite coffee shops here in town has just started having live music on Saturday nights so we are about to get in on that which will be super fun! We had our first batch of steamed crabs a few weeks ago which was super exciting! (If you're not from MD...you probably don't understand....) We even got them for FREE thanks to the generosity of some of our favorite people - Joy and Jon! And that is a big deal because they are PRIC-Y!! We had some fun outings with our small group this past weekend....one of which was mini golf...which we were all desperately pitiful at. You'll see the pictures....so sad. We are looking forward to a visit from Ben's brother Elijah on Tuesday for almost a whole week! Then we get to lead worship out at River Valley Ranch which is where we met! We are looking forward to the weeks ahead and enjoying each passing moment of our life together!

Our first crabs of the season....yay!

Soooo delicious!

Ben preparing for worship....he looks like this a lot...

Getting ready for our SAD game of mini-golf.

Those are some of our small group peeps...Dan&Jenn, Ross & Rachael...yes those are their actual names.....easy to remember!

We laughed at ourselves a lot....well...and at each other. Let's just be honest.

Us girls could not get our balls to go through that stupid loopy thing! Humiliating.

Here is a video of my pathetic attempt at using a chipper. Golf is definitely not my game. And if you've been wondering where Ben is in all of this....well...he was the photographer of the night. Sometimes being married to him is like having my own personal paparazzi.

The latest Ogden adventures...

2009-05-11T19:44:00.007-04:00

Okay, I haven't blogged in a few weeks, so there are a bunch of pictures for your viewing pleasure.... A few weeks ago ( back when MD was having amazing, summer- like weather) our link group went to an Oriole's game together after church! We had a blast and much ball park food was consumed. (sadly, that might be my favorite part!) This past weekend, Ben and I started recording together for the first time, which was super exciting! We've got some other people from our church that we are going to get in on it and hopefully in the next several months we will have a completed CD! Fun, fun! We spent the weekend cat-sitting my old kitties at Jenn's house while she's away in Ireland, so that was fun...but I think I might be developing allergies to cat hair! Sad. :( The last pictures are of us attempting to take a decent picture....as you can see....only ONE of us was the problem. :) Gotta love him. And oh man I do!!!! We are doing well....loving the spring weather and trying to spend more time outside. I've only got 5 more weeks left of school which is FANTASTIC! Ben is enjoying his job and getting lots of opportunities to be a light in a dark, dark environment. He is amazing that way. We are still hoping and praying to be able to start a family soon so that is a big topic of conversation these days. We are trusting that the Lord has our best interest at heart and He will give us all that we need. In fact....He is all we need isn't He. Until next time....(hopefully sooner than later!)

Camden Yards!

We were wayyyy up high!

The view of our spectacular city!

Ben got this sweet shot!

My face is saying, "why do you insist on taking pictures of me while I' m eating?!"

Recording!

George and Gizmo! They are such fun!

Wow.

This is how the majority of our pictures turn out...

So close!!!

Finally!

Spring Break 2009!

2009-04-13T17:46:00.005-04:00

We are back from our trek to Florida...relaxed, refreshed and a bit more tan! We got to spend some time with family and friends as well as spend a few days at the beach! I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.....

The first couple are of us with our newest niece, then there's Ben with two of his craaaazy brothers, a Brown-Ogden family dinner, me and Bethany, Ben and I ready for a date, me chowing down on some crab legs (YUM!), and then us at Siesta Key and Venice Beach. We are daydreaming about when we can go back..... :)

Our recent life...

2009-04-01T18:20:00.005-04:00

Well, life in MD is good. :) We actually enjoyed the winter with the change of seasons and the SNOW DAYS! I will say, however, that now that April is here...we are ready for some warmer weather! We're headed to Florida next week for my spring break and we can't wait to see the fam. and catch up with our Florida friends. :) Here are some pictures of our balcony and our snowy view. The rest are pictures of us and some friends at DC's Cherry Blossom Festival. The ones in the field are of a bunch of us playing kick ball in a random field at the festival. Good times!

Update!

2009-02-16T15:52:00.007-05:00

Well, I am officially a blogging slacker...in case you all were wondering. I haven't blogged in months, but they have been some crazy months indeed. Most of you know by now that we ended up miscarrying in November. A super sad time for us, but God is faithful as always and is bringing us through day by day.

We have jumped into leading a link group at our apartment

on Wed. nights and we are absolutely loving it. Our group is fantastic and so far, we have had a lot of great discussions and are learning and growing together.

Ben is getting more into his music these days...he's written some new songs and plans on doing some recording in the next few months. We're excited about that little adventure. :)

I am teaching a life skills class at a high school and most days I really like my job! I have a pretty good group of students and fabulous assistant and every day we get to go to different work sites where the kids learn different skills so that one day they might be able to get a job and be somewhat independent. It's challenging and fun and fits me well. :)

So that is my somewhat brief and general update on what's going on with us. I am not even really sure that anyone reads this anymore since I haven't been keeping up with it! Hopefully I will no longer be a blogging slacker!

Us in Sebring this past February

Ben on our balcony

This is how we ate our meals before

we got a table!

Us at a Super Bowl party!

Hodgepodge

2008-09-15T17:10:00.012-04:00

We stayed at a sweet Bed & Breakfast for our 3 yr. anniversary.

Us at the B & B

Just us!

Our small group hangin at the Pour House!

Me and Ben in the Smoky Mountains.

Me and Bethany!

Ben swingin Avery @ the Ogden family reunion in Tennessee!

Update

2008-08-27T19:33:00.001-04:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know....I haven't meant to be a complete slacker with our blog....we are computerless for the time being...and might be for awhile! Big bummer...but I will try to figure out a way to get on here and post some recent pictures! We are loving life and doing well. Hope all is well in your worlds! :)

Ben's Birthday Weekend...

2008-07-27T19:47:00.012-04:00

Ben's 29th birthday was great fun! Since his birthday fell on a Friday, according to our made up rules, he gets the whole weekend to celebrate! Friday morning, I got up and cooked him breakfast before he left for work. If he looks sleepy, it's because it was something like 5:30am. Friday night, we went to dinner at a quirky little restaurant downtown called the Grill Art Cafe. Forgot to take any pictures there which is unfortunate because it's such a cool looking place, but the second picture at the top is of us right before we left! Saturday we went to an Oriole's game which, sadly, they lost... but our seats were great and we loved every minute of it. Sunday, we went to my parents' and my mom cooked up a yummy meal of steaks and fresh corn on the cob.....also forgot to take pictures. ( I think eating distracts us! ) Thanks to everybody who called/e-mailed/texted Ben for his birthday!

Summer Days....

2008-07-23T11:01:00.014-04:00

For our three year engagement anniversary, Ben replicated our engagement dinner as a surprise!

I married the best one!

ArtScape in Baltimore...the country's largest free art festival! How I love the city life!

Us at a Rusted Root Concert at ArtScape!

Concerts wear him out...

Ben seems to attract animals...I'll turn him into an animal lover yet!

Elijah and Ren came to visit us while we were house sitting at my Aunt and Uncle's! Much fun!

Playing corn hole in the back yard!

Elijah's turn! (Ben and I won in case you were wondering....twice!)

A beautiful sky!

A group pic! Ben is pretty good with that automatic timer...

Italian Film Festival

2008-07-13T15:59:00.001-04:00

On Friday night we went with a bunch of friends to this year's first Italian Film Festival in Little Italy (a free outdoor movie!)....one of my FAVORITE things to do in the summer! We had a blast...they were showing the movie Moonstruck.....some of us liked it, others...not so much. They even have FREE popcorn which of course....has me hooked. :)

The evening wouldn't be complete without a cannoli from Vaccarro's!

This is how Jenn and I look when Ben takes too long to snap the picture! How unfortunate....

This is us with normal faces.

Those are our friends Brandon and Erin...and he's also the guy that Ben works for...they are super fun!

Ogden Update!

2008-07-07T11:39:00.000-04:00

Well, we are obviously quite delinquent with our blog postings, but wanted to get some recent pics up to let everyone know how the recent move went and what we've been up to! We are enjoying MD life and are keeping busy catching up with all of our friends and family! I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...

Ben trying to teach my aunt and uncle's dog how to play frisbee.
It didn't work out too well... Us at a free concert in Baltimore....me and Jenn (my room mate of 6 years...LOVE her!)....Ben baking a dessert for a contest (thanks Papa O!)...which he WON! Us playing with our neice and nephews....and Doug, Lige and Bethany sleeping over at our house one last time....

Back from "the Land"...

2008-03-11T15:20:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how our preconceived notions and expectations can throw us off course. Although I had very little knowledge of what Israel was actually like, my mind had formed all kinds of ideas about what I would see, experience and even feel while I was there. After spending just a few days there, I began to realize how off-set my premature notions actually were. While I won't bore you with all the details, I want to highlight just one of these false expectations, because it ended up resulting in one of the greatest lessons I learned while visiting the Land.

For some reason, I truly expected to feel this incredible sense of awe and connection to Christ after having walked where He's walked and seen what He's seen. The expectation of this emotion is probably what I most anticipated about the trip....and very quickly, I realized that this emotion would not be brought to fruition. Much of the Holy Land has become quite the tourist trap. It's difficult to stand at the place where Christ was crucified and feel the significance of the event when you are inside a huge, gaudily decorated church with hundreds of people milling around, pushing and shoving just to have the chance to touch the rock where our Lord was so violently killed. But in the insanity of that place, with all the hype and fanfare that surrounds, the Lord spoke to me in the quietness of my heart. He taught me that while it was indeed a miracle that He came to Earth and put on human skin, the miracle of Christ is much greater than His physicality. The significance of walking where He walked and standing where He stood is quite small in comparison to the reality that His spirit has chosen to live in me....a sinful wretch - desperately in need of a savior. I'm no closer to my Lord when I'm walking through His hometown than I am when I'm kneeling beside my bed to pray. The amazing gift of Christ isn't found in the rocks and ruins from a time when He lived on the Earth in human form. The true gift is that we have him in the here and now - with every breath we take and every thought we think...He exists - alive and well- within us when we choose to invite Him. What more could we possibly ask for? This simple lesson remained with me for the entirety of our trip and gave me a fresh and beautiful perspective on everything I was able to see and experience there. It was indeed a trip I will always remember. It has certainly given me a greater understanding of the Bible and the God who inspired it. But most importantly, it has given me a deeper appreciation for the greatest miracle of all. I don't need to touch the rock where Jesus was crucified to find a miracle. The miracle is simply that He lives in me.

Leaving...on a jet plane.....

2008-02-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow we are off to the Holy Land! Ben and I are super excited and completely amazed that we were even given this opportunity to go and spend time where Jesus lived, moved and breathed. We are completely overwhelmed and humbled by how our Lord provides for us. Can't wait to share our thoughts and pictures when we get back!

Back to the world of blogging...

2008-02-12T11:15:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are again. The Myspace and Facebook worlds are getting out of control.... so I've decided to simplify things and go back to the basics. Funny that blogging is now considered "basic". Anyway....this is a better way to keep everyone up to date about our everchanging lives! Let the fun begin....