The Big Brown Mountain Mudder

Nate's brother, Evan, and a friend, Jon, recently organized a race through the woods at Nate's house - Brown Mountain. The course led runners through the woods, obstacles, and plenty of mud! The day before the race, Nate and I spent time in the woods making mud pits and securing a wall that Nate built to some trees. Racers had to climb over Nate's 9 foot wall, climb up a rock scramble, race along the top of a wobbly stone wall, maneuver various other obstacles, and finally run to the finish carrying a log!

We did all this as a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. A friend from church has muscular dystrophy, and we were glad to have an event to help out this organization. Each runner paid the entrance fee and received a shirt that another friend design. We also had businesses in the area donate food for after the race. With just over 30 mudders in the race and many others helping out that day, we raised $430!

I'd say the first Big Brown Mountain Mudder was a success!

An Entire Day Off Together!

 

Nate's schedule recently changed, and now he has 3 day weekends - just like me! We took advantage of our Friday off last week and took a day trip to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. We hiked down the Canyon when we first arrived - enjoyed a few waterfalls along the way and met a couple who was celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary! Wonder if we'll still be active and hiking by then!

After our picnic lunch, we started biking along the large creek at the bottom of the Canyon. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and the sound of the water next to us. We eventually spotted two deer cooling off in the creek. We stopped and watched them for a bit - see them near the middle of the picture below?

We decided we need to bike more often if we're ever going to be able to enjoy biking. We probably rode about 9-10 miles, but we barely even talked with each other the whole half riding back! All we could focus on were how much our butts hurt and that we wanted to get back to the car!!

We did, however, end our day the most relaxing way possible! We floated in tubes down that same creek for two hours! It was so nice just to sit back and let the water carry us down. Definitely a good way to end our active day!

We stopped for a late dinner on the way home, and we were glad to be able to spend an entire day together - looking forward to more adventures this summer!

A Trip to the Hospital

I've been traveling to Rochester every other weekend for the past two months. I thought my next trip wouldn't be until September, but when my parents said they were traveling to Rochester to visit my grandpa in the hospital last weekend, I decided to join them.

Grandpa is a retired teacher, but he is still very active. He can often be found painting houses. Last Thursday he was outside painting on a ladder. The ladder slipped, and he fell 12 feet to the concrete ground! He was taken to a hospital in Rochester where they did surgery on his wrist. The x-rays pictured above show some screws, pins, and a plate that now hold his wrist together. We're thankful that his wrist was the only major injury!

My parents and I drove up to my grandparents' house Friday night to see how Grandma was doing. The next morning we took her to the hospital to visit Grandpa. He was sitting up and eating breakfast when we arrived - his first solid food since Thursday morning! We was in good spirits, and his pain had gone down to a 5 (it had been at a 15 out of 10!). Grandpa rested most of the day, and we were able to talk with him and make him more comfortable.

Grandpa kept making comments about how he had such a great family, and I know we all appreciate being part of his family! When Grandma was out of the room, he was asking how she was doing. He was the one dealing with a broken wrist, but he was still concerned for Grandma! We assured him that even though she was tired, she understood that everything happens for a reason, and she was ready to take it one day at a time as Grandpa heals.

I loved watching the interaction between my grandparents during this time. There was so much love and care shown on both ends, and they were both concerned for the other's needs. Other relatives took shifts at the hospital too, and we received word on Monday that Grandpa was home from the hospital!

It will take some time for his wrist to heal and the cast to be removed, but I'm glad we were able to visit Grandpa in the hospital and provide some encouragement - I know he would do the same for me!

Campfire Grilled Cheese

The other night, Nate and I were figuring out what we should do for dinner, and then I remembered our Spring List. Before each new season, we try to make a list of things we want to do over the next few months. We list people we want to visit, how many times we'll aim to run or rollerblade, new activities to try, places to explore, or birthdays and holidays to celebrate. One of the last things left to do on our Spring List was to try and make grilled cheese over a fire.

Back in February, we made breakfast on the campfire, and the pancakes turned out really good! We figured we should give grilled cheese a try. We got a fire going and prepared our sandwiches. We placed them on a baking sheet over the fire, and they were done in no time! We enjoyed our sandwiches while we warmed up a can of soup over the fire too.

It was a fun way to make our dinner, and we completed our Spring List just in time to think about what our Summer List will look like!

Venus Transit

Nate and I went to Kopernik Observatory tonight for an event that will not happen again until 2117! The planet Venus passed by the sun, and the orbits of Venus and Earth lined up so we could see it.

It was a pretty cloudy evening, but people eagerly gathered inside to watch Venus via live internet feed from NASA's clear view of the sun. Everyone anxious wondered if the clouds would clear enough for us to view it from Kopernik's telescopes.

Then..we got the call! The sun had been spotted on Murry Hill Road, and blue sky was on its way! After a rush of excitement, the telescopes were set and ready to display the sun.

Nate and I went into a large room that had a giant telescope coming down through the roof. The view from the telescope was projected on the wall, and when the clouds cleared, we saw the picture above. The giant white circle is the sun, and the small black dot toward the bottom is Venus making its way to the right side of the sun. And those blacks spots in the center are sun spots.

After a view minutes of watching the sun on the wall, we made out way to the smaller telescopes. The one Nate is looking at here displayed the sun as green. This was to lessen the intense impact of the light the sun gives off. They connected a special eyepiece to the telescope to make it safe to view the sun with the naked eye. Sure enough, we could see Venus in front of the sun!

We headed outside to find sunglasses you could use to safely look directly at the sun. There were more telescopes set up outside as well, and it was interesting that it was cloudy because you could see the clouds moving past the sun too. The final telescope we looked at magnified the sun even more - you could even see the solar flares moving on the surface of the sun!

It was fun to be part of all the hype at Kopernik tonight. God creatively placed so many different things in the sky, and we gained a greater appreciation for His creation by viewing this rare occurrence. I would highly recommend a trip to Kopernik! They typically have events on Friday nights if you're ever interested: www.kopernik.org

Simple Smiles

This picture from tonight just about sums up my weekend:

Fun. Cheerful. & Bright!

Lots of friends, family, love, and encouraging conversations..and lots of smiles this weekend!

Extreme Home Makeover: Tischer Edition

 "How's your house coming?" is a question typically asked, with not such a grand response these days. Truth is, it has been very slow, but we've made some progress this week!

The picture above shows what you'll see as you walk in our front door. This room is currently a mix of new, gifted, and borrowed items. We're still working to finalize everything, but we are enjoying having a complete living room area in our home!

Since we were basically re-doing the entire house, Mom took the opportunity to update the look/style as well. Her latest project has been those windows. Those are not new, just newly painted! They went from dark stained wood to freshly painted white - and they really brighten up the space!

I'm sitting in this new room typing up this post and simply enjoying the sense of hominess a little carpet and comfy furniture can bring to a house! I hope this front room will welcome many guests into our home in the years to come!

My Favorite Teammate

Nate and I met on June 1, 2011 - one year ago today! I had just graduated from college, moved back home, and was looking for a young adult group to get involved with. My friend, Danielle, and I decided to see what the group at First Baptist was like. Well, when they started up a game of ultimate frisbee after our group discussion that night, I felt right at home - and it got even better when we headed inside after that to play volleyball! I found a spot on the court, and a guy in a red shirt, shorts, and clunky work boots introduced himself as we shook hands under the volleyball net.

And that's where it all began!

This morning, Nate took me to Chenango Valley State Park to eat breakfast and hike around the lake. We also talked about this past year - the joy, excitement, and changes we have experienced together. I told Nate I was glad we were no longer on opposite sides of the volleyball net, but that we've decided to work as a team to develop a friendship and strengthen our relationship.

It was neat to reflect back on this past year and where the Lord has brought us, and we are looking forward to what the future brings as we continue to seek His direction.

*You might be impressed to know that Nate still remembers what I was wearing the day we first met too!