These are the pictures that I was trying to upload the last time. Drew and I went up to Deckers on the Platte River to camp 2 weekends ago. Joel and Gina came up to hang out sunday night.

Maupin has been doing alot better with not peeing everywhere and has got a definate bark down! Oh how fast they grow...we're so proud! hehe. We tried to find a ticket for her to come back with us, but it was going to be $250 each way....LAAAAME! Can't wait to see ya'll Michiganders in a week! Enjoy the photos.
Drew, Maups, Joel and Gina

taking a little snooze

family photo

tell me this is not the cutest pup EVER!!

camping

Last week and this weekend was quite eventful! I had an interview last week for a company called MCPN (Metro Community Provider Network). There are a 4 men who come to my restaurant and I randomly asked one of them (who happens to be the VP) if they were hiring. They were, I got the interview, and I got the job! I think I will be starting mid july. It is a non-profit health care company with 14 health clinics in the Denver Metro area. In short, I will be a liason between the patient and doctor (having spanish certainly helps). I'm excited to see what will come of it.

Drew and I went camping Sunday night until Monday. We took Maupin and just hung out on the river. It was very relaxing. lovely. I took the cutest pics, but can't fiind them now on Drew's computer...because mine is broken. shotty.

new news

Drew is in Grand Rapids this week to visit the family. Jaime, his sister, delivered her son, Sam who has hypo-plastic-left-heart syndrome. He was delivered C-section on the 16th. He looked perfectly healthy (7lbs 12 oz and 22in long). He had his first open heart surgery on the 21st and is now recovering from that. His chest cavity is still opened up in order to prevent any infection. Jaime and Steve's pastor came down the other day and baptized him...Drew said he totally lost it. I am not sure what the prognosis is at this point? I know Jaime is planning on staying in Ann Arbor by Sam while he is in the hospital (about 5 weeks). Drew left Ann Arbor this afternoon and said that Sam held his hand and opened his eyes (which is awesome!). Please just keep them in your prayers. If you want to see updates, Sam's caring page is: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/samuelekkens

On a totally different, unrelated and not as important BY FAR note, here are some pics of our pup. She has been staying in the house alot lately and is loving the toilet paper. She somehow gets in the bathroom, grabs the toilet paper and walks all over the living room with it!
aww...

this is our neighbor, Annie. Annie, Emily, Abby, and Emma all come over to play with Maupin at about 3:15pm everyday after school!

she knows she is in trouble, but I am pretty sure she doesn't care at all!

ok...this is a photo i got from my mother!! It's dad on his new bike!! haha.

our new addition!!

Hey everyone! First of all, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! I told Drew he was going to have to get me a Mother's Day present now that we have our baby!! Yep that's right...we have a new addition to our home. Her name is Maupin De Vries. She is 13.5 lbs of pure greatness. I can't believe how much joy she has brought to our lives already (am I sounding a little lame or what?!).

If you haven't caught on yet, we got a puppy!! She is a Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever mix. Both of her parents were showdogs...so of course she is a hot little bitch...haha--quite literally. We went to pick her up on Friday night. By the time we got to the house, 2 puppies were already gone and the owner's kids had obviously been sobbing. aww. Maupin was in total chill mode in the car ride. When we got home she had some energy and was running all over the yard! Willow, Joe and Keri's German Short Hair puppy came over and they went to town for about an hour!

She is doing really well not peeing in the house. I think it's only been twice that she did pee-pee and same for pooping. We're glad because I'm sure our landlord doesn't want her new carpet all stained! Anywho...Drew and I have to get ready for church, but enjoy the pictures (sorry she is sleeping in all of them basically. I'll get her to be more photogenic later).
She finally stood up to Willow...we were proud!

cashed out all the time.

yes...this is a cat dish...she will outgrow it very soon I am sure!

weekend with the malefyt's

Friday, Saturday and Sunday was a fun-filled few days with Joel and Gina. Friday night, after we were basically snowed-in all day...literally...Drew didn't have to work because of the massive snow storm that hit! Drew was getting cabin-fever and so we headed over to Joel and Gina's. We ate some chips and cheese and just chilled.

On Saturday, I went into work only to have the power go out for 1.5 hours. I was sent home because the powere wasn't scheduled to come back on until 11am, and the minute I pulled into my driveway, Brigette (a gal from work) called me back in becasue the power had turned back on. oh yay! I worked until 1pm and came home. We took Joel and Gina out to the Wash Park Grille and then got some drinks at Reiver's. By 10pm we were all a bit tired, but decided it would be great fun to head over to J and G's and have a sleep-over, since the next day the guys were going fly-fishing and the gals were headed to Boulder, CO just to hang! Boulder=hippie town...for sure!!

just smokin' reefers right on the street...just kidding...but they may as well have been. these street-players had some talent!
diggeridongs

could've been on America's Got Talent! This guy could sing!!

good 'ole Olds

just sign me up for "Better Homes & Garden"

I've been doing some odds & ends projects around the house lately and Monday was very productive. Drew and I have been living without curtains in our closet/extra bedroom as well as in our bedroom since we moved in. Let's just say, it can be a bit awkward at times ;) Anyway, I went to Home Depot and bought a 72" blind for our living room (I wouldn't recommend hanging it alone!!), took down the curtain rod and put that in the closet, and hung curtains in our room.


I also bought some things to start our garden. First we have to till some mushroom compost, then lay the treated wood (16 ft by 4 ft), and then we lay the soil. I started the seeds in a mini greenhouse and in about 3 weeks or whenever they sprout, we get to transplant them into the soil!
here is the mini greenhouse with all the little peats of soil and seeds inside
the different plants that we'll have are:
tomatoes
onions
beets
peppers
squash
cucumber
spinach
lettuce
garden bean
dill
cilantro
basil

okay, now out of the plants in bold, can you match their seeds in the pics below?

1.2.3.4.5.

what happens in mexico...

Before I start ranting about how amazing our trip to mexico was with the whole family, you can take a look at my shutterfly account at evieinthout.shutterfly.com to see all the pics.

Top 10 things about the trip (not in any particular order):

1. Speaking spanish with the natives
2. Jamie scared out of her mind to go snorkeling...and loving it in the end!
3. Dad...enough said!
4. Ashlyn becoming my best friend for the night after buying her a stuffed animal pink dolphin...who said money can't buy love?
5. Parasailing--This is a story in itself: We had to take seadoo's into the ocean to get to our boat (not a big deal right? there's more...) Kevin, Jamie, Drew, Taylor and I were going to parasail and Ashlyn and Olivia were along for the ride (mom, dad, nick, julie and eva in town at this point so we had to take the girls). Jamie gets the first ride with Taylor and Ash. They get to the "pick-up area" and just wait; meanwhile Ashlyn is bawling and there is a mexican boy who doesn't speak any english driving the seadoo. they get in...Ash still bawling! He picks up Drew and me. Then Kevin. Olivia is sound alseep as they are pulling up to the boat on the seadoo in Kevin's arms and the guide grabs her by her life vest and just HOISTS her on up. She cries. Anywho...you get the point...we all had to go back too!! haha. Needless to say, the view was insane!! Taylor went in the middle of Drew and me and J and Kev went together. I was so impressed with how relaxed Tay was...while I am sitting there gripping the hooks for my life!
6. Deep Sea fishing--Julie, Nick, Drew and I went to Playa del Carmen to slay some fishies. While we were strolling, we saw 4 GIGANTIC sea turtles (about 450 lbs said our guide, Juan), a bunch of flying fish, the bluest water I have ever seen, and on the end of Drew's line a....wait for it...35 lb Amber Jack fish. Nick fought a fish all the way to the surface and Herminio (other guide) let is slip. BUMMER! Juan filleted the fish right on the beach and we ate it 30 minutes later in a restaurant for only $15.
7. Taylor reading aloud to me...very impressive!
8. Hahaha....you had to be there but...Del Lago, one of the restaurants, put on a show...let's just say it should have been pg-13!! There was a LOT of booty shaking!
9. Seeing how much livi and Eva are growing up and TALKING!!
10. Spending time with some of the most important people in my life for an entire week...nonstop...what a blessing!! ...mom you weren't mentioned...but, just being with you is enough.

I could honestly go on and on, but I gave my top 10. It was simply spectacular. And now, top 10 pics (or some of my favorites):