Cadillac Ranch

On the cruise we saw and swam in the most beautiful water in Cayman and Cozumel.

In Colorado, we were in awe of the mountains and streams.

In Amarillo, we saw a "field" of Cadillacs! :) I don't know if any of you have ever been to the Cadillac Ranch, but we have. It was a little detour on our way back from Colorado. I had seen it in one of Andrew's books and I was curious to see it in person. The Cadillacs are planted face down in the ground. They also had been grafittied which was interesting. Well, at least now our kids can never complain that we didn't take them to see the Cadillacs in Amarillo!!! :)

Rocky Mountain High

One week after we returned from the cruise, we were very happy to repack our bags and head to Colorado. This time we were with Rich's family. We loved the beauty of Colorado and being with family. Here are a few pictures from our trip...The natural beauty of Colorado is truly awesome!

This picture above is not exactly a natural beauty picture---it is from the Hammond's candy factory and store in Denver. It was a very yummy. By the way, this is the place where Santa gets his candy canes! Yummy!

Barely Blogging!

I think I should change the name of this blog to Barely Blogging! :) The good news is that we have had a fun and busy summer. Bad news---not much blogging time! So ....for the next few days I wil post pictures from some of our events of the past weeks.

The Segura Family Cruise was very fun!!! we had such a good time going to Cozumel, Jamaica and Cayman.

Jacob was our bus co-pilot in Jamaica. He loved the "no problem mon" lifestyle in Jamaica. Do you think his hat makes him look like Bob Marley?

This is was us at dinner one night. Dinners were my favorite part of my cruise. Yes, the food was awesome but itwas also great for all 9 of us to be together and recap the events of the day.

Some of you know that Rich loves Frank Sinatra. This led him and Andrew to sing "New York New York" during karaoke night on the cruise. The funny thing is that one of the cruise people then wanted Rich to star in the All Cruise Talent Show singing "My Way!" They told him that there would be 1,600 people there. Althought the kids really wanted him to do it, he said "no." :)

After the cruise we came home and repacked and went on the Gochis Family Colorado Trip. I'll post some pictures from that tommorow!

Godincidence

I once heard a speaker talk about God-incidences in our lives. She said that when many things in our lives happen we tend to call them coincidences or fate. She asked why we considered them coincidences when they were obviously signs of a God that cared enough to manage the details of our lives. Well, today our family had a Godincidence.

Today Rich and I drove Drew to Pine Cove for a 6 day camp. If any of you know Andrew, you will know that new things are not his favorite. He actually hates transitions/change of any kind. And true to form, today he decided he didn't want to go to Pine Cove. To top it off he was gong to the one in Tyler versus the one in Columbus which then led him to tell us that if he was going to the one in Columbus he would be more likely to see friends from San Antonio, etc. etc. etc. He actually looked a little miserable as we drove in to the camp. Then, as we got out of our car, a precious girl from our church in San Antonio ran over to say hi. We love this girl and her family and had no idea that she was a counselor at Pine Cove. This in fact was her first week there. Andrew was so excited to see her. Rich and I were thrilled that she was there and because of all the little details that had happened it was clear that we were experiencing a Godincidence. :)

The other miracle of the day was that I was able to leave Drew at the camp. It was not very easy but I know that he is in His hands and will experience a great week!

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day. We had a great day yesterday celebrating the 4th and being thankful for our freedoms.....

Freedom to vote

Freedom of speech

Freedom to practice our faith

AND freedom to post a 4th of July post on the 5th of July! :)

Happy Birthday Drew!

Andrew turned 11 and because he takes after his mom he decided to turn his birthday into a 3 day celebration. Friday began for him on his last day at Pre-Teen Church camp when he was serenaded by other campers at breakfast. We then ate at Chili's that night as a family where he was serenaded by the wait staff and had a birthday milkshake. Saturday morning began with a birthday waffle breakfast with our sweet friend Mallory. Then Saturday night we had my parents and Steve and Cindy over for cookie cake and birthday wishes. Tonight he and some buddies went up to Dallas to watch a Rangers game. This kid knows how to celebrate! :)

It is hard to believe that 11 years ago Rich and I became parents. I remember leaving the hospital and thinking the nurses and doctors must be crazy to let us go home with an infant. Sometimes I feel sorry for Andrew because as our first child he has been our guinea pig in many ways. I once saw a book called "The first child as first draft," and I thought that was a pretty good explanation for what you feel like as a parent of a first born. Jacob and Hannah have definitely had the benefit of more relaxed versions of me and Rich. Andrew has had to endure parents with less perspective....but he has survived. Some would say by his 3 day celebration he has not only survived but thrived!

Backwards Blog

Hello there! You are not mistaken, this is an actual blog entry! My sister gave me "feedback" that I need to blog more. I am accepting her feedback and will try to redeem myself.

This is a backward blog entry...I will be posting pics from the past month...starting with the most recent pics first. All in all, it has been a fun, eventful past few weeks.

Father's day with a special tie cake for my dad and Rich.

Th kids at their Vacation Bible School program. They loved VBS !

We went to a family friend's wedding in Fredricksburg, Texas. It was very fun...this is Jacob doing his air guitar to a song he requested "Eye of the Tiger." Nothing says "Happy Wedding" like the Rocky 3 Soundtrack!

Hannah at her dance recital! She was fabulous and I am not biased at all!

Jacob doing "Blessed is the Texas Child" for the 2nd Grade Poetry Recital.

Fun trip to Houston to celebrate my grandfather's 91st birthday! He is an amazing man and our family is continually blessed by him and his amazing life!

Andrew in the 4th grade musical at school. It was a great performance.

Well, that's a look in the rearview mirror from the Gochis Household. The pictures don't include the boys being at Baylor Basketball Camp.....swim lessons for Hannah....the rock one of my children put in their own ear and the subsequent ER visit to remove the rock....me going to a Boot Camp program at 5:15 A.M. on MWF. There is never a dull moment and we wouldn't trade it for anything!