Sunday, March 29, 2009

New Gazebo!

My awesome family, David and David's parents all pitched in for my awesome birthday gift - a backyard makeover! We got a new gazebo from Target, then David repainted our old patio furniture black and we got new cushions. The best bargain was our outdoor chandelier - I had seen it at Target for $129, but found the IDENTICAL one on Craigslist for $50!!! Some poor lady had bought it for her dining room, but didn't realize it had a plug because it's meant for outdoors. Since she couldn't hardwire it into her dining room, she put it up on Craigslist! Yeah for me!!!

David's little helper...



Drum roll please.................


Please forgive the fuzzy picture - I can't get my new little Olympus point and shoot camera to work very well unless it's perfectly bright light. Gotta figure that out.

Oh, and I'll let you enjoy the sunsets we are able to see for our back deck, which we'll now be enjoying from underneath our beautiful gazebo!

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Freedom Journey


In December of 2006, just 2 years after Byron died in Iraq, we decided to take a "Freedom Journey." We spent 3weeks on a road trip through the eastern US - from Austin east to Savannah, then all the way north to New England, and back a little inland to Texas. We traveled over 6000 miles in an effort to see our beautiful country and understand what Byron sacrificed his life for. We drove scenic routes, through small towns and big cities, stopping at places that held history in shaping our nation. We stopped at Veteran's Memorials, National Cemeteries, historical monuments and some of the most beautiful places in America. In each place, we left a "Freedom Rock," a smooth stone that had Byron's name and KIA date on one side, and said "Freedom Isn't Free" on the other. It was our way of taking Byron with us and leaving a bit of him in each special place. This experience was so healing for us, and truly one of the most memorable and special events of our entire lives. Here are our favorite pictures from the Freedom Journey.