Grandpa Decker

Eddie's grandfather passed this week.  He was a dynamic man loved by all.  He cared deeply for his family and instilled in us the kinds of things that eveyone hopes to pass on to their future generations.  We all value hard work, adventure, Christ as savior, good food, and family above all. 

Ed and I were fortunate to get to go to Kerrville for the funeral (everyone, even all of his grandchildren, made it) and it was one of the most powerful sermons centered around Christ I have ever heard.  Friar Stockton talked about Grandpa in celebration terms.  His passing into eternity and the assurance of the banqueting table with Christ is truly something to celebrate.  Though he will be missed, we will continue to tell his stories, and picture him resting with Jesus. 

1 Year Anniversary Trip to Indy

Eddie worked a few extra shifts this summer so that he could get us tickets home to Indiana to see my family for our anniversary.  Best Hubs ever!

Dinosaur train, dinosaur train, gonna go ride Dinosaur train...excavator!

Gigi Leaf Beard

Brotha Man

In the apple orchard

If he wasn't so cute, I'd think he was the serpent tempting Eve.

I had to include a house shot...Eddie and Marcus tore up the carpet and trim.

West Side Story

We bought a house.  I've (Josie) never wanted to do that.  I've always wanted to be mobile, own only enough to fit in my car, and live somewhere in the middle ground between middle class and $2/day like the people in Cambodia or wherever.  But now that I'm in my 30's (so wise) and middle of three years of a graduate program in beautiful Salt Lake City, married to My Love that reveals Jesus's kindness to me, and trying to make grown-up decisions, things have changed.  We have the opportunity to live cross culturally here in Salt Lake right now.  We have the opportunity to have the authority to dictate what to do with our space by hosting.  We have the opportunity to cultivate the land in ways that honor God.  We have the opportunity to give more of ourselves.  We have the opportunity to use our gifts for God's glory.  We have the opportunity to steward our money to pay off school loans.  So many opportunities we just couldn't pass up. So we're taking it.  We bought a house.  We're moving to a 100 year old house (you could call it a fixer upper) in a Hispanic/Polynesian neighborhood.  We plan on having a friend live with us and to be open to others in need of a place to stay and be mentored (more later on Holding Out Help.)  This will definitely be an adventure and will grow our marriage even more, build our trust in God's provision and wisdom, and stretch our comfort zone.  We hope the fixing up of the house will be a means to build deeper friendships with those who are excited to help.  We'll try to document the progression.  So to begin, we closed on Wednesday 10/5/11.

Entryway Living Room

Master Suite

Master bath

2nd Bedroom old headboard shelving

3/4 Guest Bath

Office

Attic Living Area 

Attic Bathroom

Attic Bath

Back Yard (see the apples on the ground?)

Back Yard Half Fallen Apple Tree

Drive way (currently a forest) and garage

Kitchen (duh)

Mom/ Mother-in-Law comes to town...so we get out of town

Gina (Josie's mom) came for a visit 2 weeks ago, so we got out of town....don't worry, Gina came too!

We booked it down to southern Utah to give Gina a vacay on her vacay/ we just really wanted to go to Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks. Everytime I find myself in the martian landscape of southern Utah, I can't believe that I'm there without getting on a rocketship. It's other-worldly and stunningly beautiful (brief side note: I feel like I'm a good judge of beauty, because...well...you know...I married Josie).

Anyways, here's a few shots of the trip to Bryce NP and Zion NP:

Bryce Amphitheater

Your new desktop background.

The Crew


Hook 'em!

Seattle to Yellowstone via Missoula

We left Angie at the airport with her team headed for Uganda.  We had to skip Spokane for lack of time and were welcomed into Missoula by Nikki (at one time Nick?)  We rode into town to find it absolutely packed at midnight on a Tuesday!  It must have been the first week of school because all the bars were full! or maybe that's just Montana.  We hiked to the "M" and then went to the Big Sky Brewery for tastings which was brilliant.  Then, we sped through the glorious mountains (next time I want to take the train) and landed in Yellowstone.  No campgrounds were open of course, so we pulled a classic JosEd: we camped on the side of the road.  This time we were really freaking out.  We were in the middle of nowhere high in the National Forest near an abandoned hunting cabin and definitely in bear country (with bear mace).  And a lone, creepy guy was pacing where we parked the car.  Needless to say, we woke up alive in the morning and after a coffee stop, made it into Yellowstone.

We stopped at some of the touristy areas which were awesome!  The canyon and the mud pots are crazy!

At the southern end of the park, we donned our backpacks and hiked for 3 days around Lewis Lake and Shoshone Lake and into the Geyser basin.  It was beautiful! Crazy geology!

Finally, we drove through the Grand Tetons and Victor and Swan Valley and made it home just in time for work and school the next day.  Wait, back up. Victor is home to the Grand Teton Brewing Company and served half pints that were fantastic and powerful for us Utahn weaklings.  If we lost any pounds hiking, we gained them back in full force in Victor's brewpub with burgers, fries, and a pint.  And then sweet Swan Valley with it's square ice cream. mmm.

Portland to Seattle

In Seattle, well, Everret, We met up with the friend that lived in Eddie's backyard in college.  Not like a tent or bivy sack, but a house.  She and her husband graciously hosted us in their amazing artist's studio (maybe my favorite house decorations of all time... lots of old cameras [they are both photographers], vintage furniture, funky paintings, fabrics, National Geographic mags, African photos, plants), showed us the sights of Everret, and quickly became great friends.  Can't wait for them to come to SLC!
The next day, we rode bikes to the touristy stuff like Pike's market, the sculpture garden, and the Ballard locks.

In Ballard, we randomly ran into another friend from our church in Salt Lake, Eric.  Crazy!  Later that evening, we met up with a great long-time friend, Angie Cox Rocks.  It was like no time had past since we'd had a good heart to heart.  She was a wonderful host and took us out for delicious Thai food and Molly Moon ice cream.  All that while preparing to leave for Uganda the next morning...she is amazing!  She also encouraged and challenged us to press into God, listen and participate in worship music at home, and start a small prayer movement. We were honored that she would share her painful story with us and it helped us to be more honest with the power of God and him moving to heal broken hearts.   Oh yea, we picked the nose of the Ballard troll.

Bend to Portland

We took the advice of Kerry Gillette and drove the McKenzie Highway which is winding and beautiful.  We arrived in space, aka a crater field.  Overheard from another couple walking to the top of the lookout, "Have you ever done it at the top of a lava castle?"

Next, we popped by Eugene to say hi to Emily and the kids in their adorable Ukrainian makeup and braids.  For pics, see: http://coxkidsnews.blogspot.com/2011/09/ukrainian-day-photos.html Then on to the famous Oregon coast. Yes, we had clam chowder at Moe's.

For Nanny's sake, we stopped at Tillmook for a factory tour (read: samples!!!) and ice cream.

We headed into Portland later that evening and met up with Laurel and Josh.  Although we weren't able to sneak a peak of Gallilee, we were deeply encouraged and challenged by their adoption, church strategies, and love for their city.  The next day, we got on our bikes and tooled around infamous Portland.  First stop: Farmer's market.

 Next, the Saturday Market.  Eddie was very excited.

Third, we wound our way up to Mississippi St. for food carts and randomly ran into Kyle and Joy, our pastors in Salt Lake.  Yes, we had the Brian Bowl at Por Que No?  Yes, it was delicious. And yes, we had Stumptown Coffee.  It was a close call though. We were getting tired of waiting in lines and asking for directions and almost went with a cheap cup from a nearby food cart.  But then, wonder of all wonders, a man walked out of the shop next door with coffee. We checked it out and it was Stumptown!  Needless to say, we waited in line.