Summer has come!!

Zach just wrote a new blog post (see below). So this will be a new record--two blog posts in ONE day. Summer gives us this kind of time.

We both took our last final on Friday and we have been enjoying the sweet flavors of summer freedom. Here are some random pictures...

The beginning of summer was marked by the arrival of the hummingbirds. I LOVE these guys. They're such little gentlemen. And just, like, the coolest little creatures ever.

They're tough to get photos of, however. This feeder is directly outside our bedroom window. I had to have the blinds down, with just one tiny slit taped open. Then I had to actually catch one sitting there (I kept my camera on my dresser). They're super skittish AND I was using my macro setting. So I could barely move.

I have not edited the red on this guy. They aren't kidding when they call them "Ruby Throated Hummingbirds." It seriously blows my mind how delicatley painted God's creations are...

This was my Mother's Day gift for my mom. I bought a ceramic mug for 25 cents, spray painted it white, then painted it with....dandelions! Later I planted a little pepper plant in it and wrote her a poem. She is pretty much the most fabulous mom ever :)

I made Lucas cupcakes for his birthday. They looked so cute I had to take a photo. Now anytime I need to crave chocolate frosted cupcakes....I just have to look at this photo.

Summer is gonna be soo sweet :)

Adventures through Missouri and Iowa ... or ... MAN-Time

Hello World, this is the quieter, manlier half of TheVicars.blogspot.com. Just thought I’d post an update about some (2) of the things I’ve been up to in the last few weeks.

1/2) As many of you know, our friend Jacob ‘Biscuit’ Ratliff is currently on an 1,100-mile bicycle trek to Texas. (Actually, he’s almost finished!) As probably fewer of you know, I got the chance to ride with Biscuit on the first day of his journey. It was an incredible ride! We went about 60 miles South on Missouri Highway 3, waving to the Amish, soaking in the gorgeous Missouri hillside, and got to know a few of the locals along the way.

Here’s a few photos of our ride…

The Stallions. Biscuit’s is the one in the foreground with all the robust camping gear strapped to it… mine’s the one in the back with the fairy water bottle.

What is he doing … Contemplating the vast expanse of the open road? Feeling miniscule in the shadow of the American agricultural machine? Taking a pit stop right on the road before the epic journey continues???

Actually…he’s taking a picture

Here’s the both of us on a bridge which was approximately our half-way point. Biscuit had a bug in his eye … or something.

And lastly, here is our hero riding victoriously through the downtown strip of his first stopping point, the tiny town of Clifton Hill.

2/2) Just about a week ago, I got a chance to go on another excellent adventure. Amy was camping with the BSU women-folk, so I would have been batching it for the night at the homestead. That sounded far too boring for the last real weekend of the semester, so I called up my friend and adoptive brother, Jagadish Subedi, and we made a fast break for the Iowa border last Saturday night. Jagadish left today for Ocean City for the summer, so this was kind of a last hurrah for us guys.

We slept in the parking lot of a campground area. Jagadish took A LOT of pictures (like 200 or so), but here are a few of my favorites.

Here’s a charming candid of my friend. I call it, Sunrise in Passenger Seat of Pickup.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention – Hoss came along. He’s much further North in Minnesota at his new adoptive home now. Another last hurrah for us guys. The lake (not recalling its name) provided a nice backdrop.

This is a picture of a neat hotel in the picturesque town of Keosauqua, Iowa, which is nestled right on the Des Moines river.

Ah, the winding road … Jaggu took this one. I think it captures the Missouri farm-scape beautifully.

The two pictures below are of Jagadish and me playing at the school grounds in Bible Grove, Missouri. The school was bigger than the rest of the town …

So yeah, that’s just a snippit into the masculine side of this blog. It’s not all butterflies and blooming flowers around here … but, I have to admit … I like those things, too.

Happy summer, everyone!

Zach

Beautiful days

On Thursday our friend Jagadish came over and made us some absolutely delicious Nepali food.

Usually their food is very, VERY spicy. Zach and him are always teasing me about how I can't handle spicy foods. Jagadish made this especially "bland" for me. He said he couldn't feel any heat--and my mouth was still burning! Haha--I'm such a wimp. It all tasted SOO good, though.

This was one of the leaves from our strawberry plants this morning. Isn't that just glorious? God totally did that.


Yesterday Zach and I took the tandem bike out for a spin. 'Twas a beautiful, fresh evening.

The sunset was beautiful. Kirksville has seriously awesome sunsets, like...every day.

We've only got one more week of finals--then it's summer sunshine and freedom!!