Kristen Blog

This is J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.  See that path we are walking on?  Guess what it is made of.  In Missouri, it would likely be gravel...limestone.  I could have easily assumed that as we were walking on the paths in Sanibel.  But I think it was Matt who first noticed...the paths in Sanibel are all made of tiny shells.   🐚  You have got to be kidding me!  What a happy, tiny detail I could easily have missed.  This is what Sanibel gave me... I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Evan.  Even more...I remember the day Matt announced we could try again for our fourth.  After all the trauma of miscarriages, and the miraculous joy of Dillon's birth...and that weird blood thing, where I couldn't have an epidural...I thought he'd never let us try again.  He really wanted to "end" on a happy note.  But I really wanted to square off the numbers, and three just wasn't working for me. We tho...

Sanibel Vacation - FISHING!  With Captain Pete Rogers! Very likely my favorite day of our Sanibel Vacation yet! We started the morning slowly. It was warmer earlier.  The kids were in the pool by 9 am, and I was reading my Bible pool side. Oh, man, if every morning IN MY LIFE could be like this... Lunched.  Packed and snacked up, ready to go by noon.  We met Captain Pete at his house, and we left by boat via his backyard!  Seriously?!! How did he GET this job?!! I asked if I could move in, but he didn't seem interested in a late 30's adopted daughter, her husband and 4 kids moving in. ;) Ah, well. Within the first few minutes of our trip, we spotted a couple of dolphins.  The weather was nice and overcast for most of the day, so the threat of sunburn was minimal.  We started out fishing for trout.  Perhaps it was the first stop where we also caught some snapper.  Pete knew just where to place ...

RELAX… I was up by 6 a.m.  I debated trying to go back to sleep, but the house was sooooo quiet, and that was soooooo inviting to me.  So, I got up at 6- yep...that's early for me. It is amazing how early you can get up when you actually want to get out of bed.  (Like Saturday morning after a crummy work week.) 😂 I managed to figure out the newfangled Keurig machine on my own (ok...after a lesson or two).  I made myself a lovely little iced mocha…YUM!  And I was outside to watch the world wake up.  Just me, a book and a blanket (because even Sanibel is a little cool in winter) and this AMAZING view...Sanibel... AHHHHH to be outside in the middle of winter, experiencing the world wake up. What joy! I have a newfound appreciation for that evil word, m.o.r.n.i.n.g. I am in awe at how happy a slow day can be, when you are in Sanibel, FL.  Slow days don't usually equate to good in Liberty, MO. We went to the beach around 1...