We're Here!

I apologize for my negligence in posting to this blog, but ever since arriving in Taos last Thursday, we hit the ground running!  Not until today has there been time to post an adequate update, but at last, here it is! :)  Thank you so much for your patience and your prayers!  God has been so good to us!

Driving up here over the course of two days would have been boring and difficult were it not for the wonderful helpers the Lord provided at the last minute.  Rachel and Leah made the drive so much fun as we followed the big blue Budget truck, and with Leah taking a turn behind the wheel every couple of hours, I had the chance to rest or ride with my husband.

Not only was she a great driving partner, but Leah is also the one responsible for all the pictures in this post!  

Some New Mexican scenery along the way.

Mountains, desert shrubs, and the color pink describe the topography quite well through much of this state!

The famous camel rock.

Taking the high road through the mountains to Taos.

The Rio Grande Gorge.

When we arrived, a group of people from the church helped us unload the truck into the parsonage where we are living.  With all their help, the job was done in no time!

The following day, we got to work on Operation Paint the Parsonage!  The mustard yellow and burnt peach colors just had to go. :) We figured it would be much easier to paint first and unpack second, plus we had great help from Rachel and Leah which made the work go swiftly!  

The kitchen looks MUCH better with light sage green walls and white cabinets!

While we girls did the majority of the painting, Nathan diligently worked on staining all the window frames a dark brown that looks beautiful and matches our furniture quite nicely.

Doesn't creamy white look so much better??? It really lightens things up!

The kitchen was quite the project, it turned out, with all its nooks and crannies.  Leah was a great detail painter who stopped at nothing to get the job done! :)

Rachel - the expert roller! :)

Thanks to our wonderful helpers, we got so much accomplished this past week!  We painted the living/dining room, the guest room, the hallway, and the kitchen, including all the cabinets.  We also began unpacking these rooms which makes for a much more settled feeling.

Rachel and Leah were such a tremendous blessing to us!  Not only did they do excellent work from dawn until dusk every day, they displayed cheerful attitudes the whole time filling our home with laughter and joy.  They also went the extra mile to be as helpful as possible, making dinner when I was sick or needed a nap, doing laundry, and giving me massages on occasion as well.  I am so grateful for their presence here this past week!