Travis's New Region

Travis got a list of his new locations yesterday.

His new region includes Enid, OK, and Hutchinson, Salina, Little River, Lyons, Kinsley, Cullison (near Pratt), Trousdale (between Pratt and Kinsley) and Greensburg, KS.


View Travis's Locations in a larger map

Married 8 Years-To my Best Friend!

Eight years ago we said our "I dos" in front of our friends and family and four-month-old daughter. Three children and about ten moves later, we are STILL best friends and growing deeper in our relationship and love for each other with every tick of the clock!

Only God can be credited for a love that grows, not diminishes, during stress (of which we have had nothing but since we've been married). Our love has lasted through me throwing hot chicken 'n' stars soup at Travis in a fit of rage (which he dodged) to him walking out the door during many-a-conversation when our communication hits a brick wall and, in our selfishness, our conversation is going nowhere.

Though we are guilty for not spending enough time with each other WITHOUT KIDS TAGGING ALONG, we have managed to stay passionately in love and fiercely loyal to one another through and despite the rigorous and exhausting time demands of raising four children, Travis working hard to support us and me home schooling the kids. The fact is that raising children, working hard and providing the kids' education are all activities that have kind of refined our love for each other.

Travis and I had a particularly enjoyable time together during our family trip to Colorado recently. We shed some tears in communicating more than a couple of times, I'll admit. We were forced to be together more than we are ever ABLE to be at home, which helped (but was admittedly emotionally taxing at first). Our time with each other is so very limited each day, due to Travis's commute and providing the kids' basic needs, that we both kind of just get set in our own routines and (dare I say?) become inflexible in our opinions or how we want to do things? Hehe.

Sitting in a car for hours upon hours kind of forced us to "talk it out," instead of hitting the emotional brick wall in our conversations and dropping it. We HAD to bring what we "dropped" back up and talk through it so we didn't have a miserable vacation. Our vacation that started out as being a real challenge to our communication ended up to be a real renewing re-softening time for both our hearts toward each other.

Attending our friends' wedding was a wonderful reminder of God's love for us and our love for each other, along with the fact that we had a wonderful time just getting away from the daily grind (even if the kids were still with us) was refreshing.

My favorite part of being married to Travis is that he dreams big, he encourages me to dream big, and we dream big together, because he knows that with God ANYTHING is possible! Dreaming dreams together, sharing them with God, and watching God creatively move in ways we're not even creative enough to think up, makes the bond of our marriage even stronger.

Those of you reading this know Travis and I are a dangerous combination. Both of us are like crazy ticking time bombs most of the time. We get these extreme wild ideas that we just won't let go of, with no one knowing what will happen next! We are also both very outspoken and passionate. Thankfully, Travis somehow trusts and understands my crazy and I trust and understand his crazy, so it all works out. Bet you can't even imagine how passionate we can be when we put our dreams together. Wink, wink! I can't explain it better than that (which is a horrible explanation). What I can say is that we KNOW it is safe to dream big and act crazy within the safety of the love and friendship we have with each other through God.

Here's to many more years of Travis and Jae craziness. I love you, Baby!

Baby Jillian is 3!

"Guaranteed to Make You Smile," is a phrase Jillian has printed on one of the shirts she often wears. Nothing could be further from the truth with little Jillian. I've seen the grumpiest-looking people just beam when they see Miss Sassafras Jillian strut by with her big curly 'fro and grinning ear-to-ear. Who says the baby of the family just follows the others around copying them? NOT Jillian. Jillian marches to the beat of one drum--her own!

RED is her favorite "thing" right now. When I asked her what her favorite meal was and what she wanted me to fix her for her birthday meal, she said, "Red." She pointed to a red convertible on the highway and said, "That's God's car." I asked her why she was so sure it was God's. She said, "God's favorite color is red." Well then, if Miss Jillian asserts its correct, there's no way she's changing her mind...at least not for now. She makes sure to request her red cup each meal, and noticed the red stage lights when they came on a church tonight.

Jillian seems to have broken the mold in many more areas than just her opinion. CURLY, CURLY hair tops her little round face. She doesn't fight to get any one's attention, because she knows how to get what she wants with charm, persuasion or, when all else fails, force.

She just comes over to me or Travis when she wants attention, puts her little hands on our face, gets her big fro right in front of whatever we're doing, looks us in the eyes and smiles so she's sure she has our undivided attention! She knows just what it takes to get brothers and sister to play right into her hand. Can we say spoiled rotten?

Tons of love and affection with just enough sass thrown in is how I would describe Jillian's personality from birth until now. She knows what she wants and will go to pretty much all lengths to get it. I will never forget the first seven months of her life. She didn't want to go to the nursery at two months old...she wanted me. A two-month old with separation anxiety. Is that possible? She would even scream when Travis held her. She only wanted me then. I made the decision to keep it calm with Jillian and even enjoy her wanting me, since I know in about 17 years she will need me for very few things.

Jillian loves sitting on my or Travis's lap while we read books she brings to us. She also likes me taking a nap with her during the afternoons after I have read her a couple books. She's a snuggler when it comes to people she knows.

Jillian is our only child to have spent the majority of her life (and her formative speech years) in the south, so she's got some southern attitude in her voice inflection and gestures that makes her little fro-topped personality even funnier. If I had to put my money on a career that she might choose, I would pick comedian or entertainer. She's so stinkin' funny and ornery!

Here's a story that illustrates some of the day-to-day hilarity and persistence of Jillian:

The day was the day after Justis's birthday, three days before Jillian's. A huge box had arrived early that morning from Grandma and Grandpa Chadd with both Justis and Jillian's birthday presents in it. We got Justis's presents out right away so he could open them and put Jillian's wrapped gifts, along with one mom put in for Travis and I for our anniversary, aside on the coffee table. Justis opened his gifts. Madalynn and Dawson were right in the middle of the unwrapping action with Justis, but Miss Jillian was quietly hovering around the other three wrapped packages set aside on the coffee table. She kept making conversation with me about those three packages, noting the pretty wrapping paper and that, "I-I-I'll just look inside and see the pretty wrapping paper, okay?" I laughed and told her no and that her turn to open her presents would be in a few days. We picked up the wrapping paper and packaging after Justis was done opening his gifts and then I left the room to start bath water so we could all get out of our pjs. I was gone about a minute-long enough to stand at the tap until warm water started coming out and then stop the tub-and then came back to the living room to summon Jillian for her bath. I saw Jillian quickly run away when I got close to my bedroom door, which opens out into the living room. I didn't even have to look, but I knew one of the packages I told her NOT to open had been torn into. I saw a few pieces of PINK wrapping paper on the floor while my eyes were scanning to find Jillian. "I-I-I just looked to see the Dora house," Jillian said, stopping and looking me straight in the eye (as if she had nothing to hide) and putting on her persuasion hat to get her out of the trouble she knew she was in. After turning around so I she could not see me crack up, I faced her and explained that I made clear that she wasn't supposed to touch the presents or there'd be consequences. She started crying immediately (she's pretty brave, but knows right from wrong). To her horror, I picked up the present she had unwrapped and explained that I would put it away until her birthday and then she could have it. I then asked her, "Do you want to call Grandma and Grandpa Chadd and thank them for the gift?" She looked at me nervously. "No. Probly later," she said, with a SERIOUS face. "Why not, I asked?" I looked into her face and she was trying to think of an excuse to cover the fact that she didn't want to have to admit to Grandma and Grandpa she cheated and opened her present early! "Jillian," I finally said, "Do you want to tell Grandma and Grandpa Chadd thank you for the present after you open the others on your birthday?" "Probly so," she said with a relieved face. She turned and smiled at me when she got to the Dora gift again on her actual birthday, remembering full-well what she went through to (almost) get by with receiving her birthday present a few days early!

Happy 7th Birthday, Mr. Justis!

I love Justis, I wish I could just get him stopped long enough to come give me a hug more often. Justis gives the best hugs in the world, and they mean so much coming from him, because he doesn't just pass them out to anyone! Loyal and "just," that is our Justis.

Justis has the most tender heart, paired with fierce wits, memory and energy that makes for nothing but an absolutely essential and fun part of our family. We have watched him continue to bravely venture out from under Madalynn's wing more often this year and do things on his own, which has been so fun to witness. We are thankful Maddie and Justis get along so well, but Justis's new independence has been encouraging to him and enjoyable to even Madalynn. Travis, the other three kids and I can't help but love everything about Justis.

The fact that Justis started couting down the days to his birthday (faithfully) over a month ago is just a little proof we've seen over the last year of his growing persontality. Justis is the kind of person you have to experience, because he's just so very interesting and energetic!

Justis is always observing. He loves to count, keep track, and note and remember what people like. He's very specific with what he likes, as well, but he's by no means high maintenance. Utility is and convenience saves time, in Justis's opinion. Time Justis has to spend fussing over something is serious play time he's missing, in his opinion! He lives to play and his favorite activity is jumping on the trampoline with Travis and putting the garden hose at the top of the slide so he can go down the "waterslide."

He is fiercly smart. Justis posesses this level of understanding and applying new concepts he's learned things that Travis and I just cannot put a name to. For example, he picked up this little concentration-type game at my grandparents cabin and mastered it within minutes. He was the first child to find the game, of course, because he's always the first child looking for something else to do because he's already "experienced" whatever he has already conquered and he's on to the next thing. This little game had numbers 1-13 engraved separately on little slidable metal pieces. The goal is to move the pieces until the numbers 1-13 appear successively from left to right, top to bottom. He brought the completed puzzle to Justis and I and said he had done it on his own. Both Travis and I thought he had found it with the numbers all in place, so Travis mixed the numbers up and gave the game back to Justis to go work on again. Justis, again, came back with the numbers aligned within minutes. The number game has been at the cabin since I was very young, and not until a few years ago could I sit down and figure it out within a reasonable amount of time (reasonable being 15 minutes or fewer). Travis then challenged Justis to a little timed race to see who could solve the puzzle fastest. Both came in under 5 minutes, but Justis beat Travis's time by at least a minute!

Justis is always the first to fall asleep at night. We are convinced he's the first with his eyes shut because he expends enough of his own energy daily to sustain the other three kids and himself. Playing hard, sleeping hard. What more could you ask for?

Well, speaking of asking for thing, Justis is pretty humble. He wants our time and we are so thankful he DOES ask for that. We encourage him to. I was suprised at the detailed list he gave me this year when I asked for birthday ideas.

He specifically told me he wanted mashed potatoes and gravy and kool-aid for supper, with vanilla ice cream cake for dessert. He also specified that he wanted one candle in the shape of a "7," instead of seven individual candles.

He couldn't, however, make up his mind about what gift he wanted most for his birthday. He's wavered between a rocket fishing rod and pogo stick for the last month. I hadn't gotten him anything when I finally reminded him that he needed to decide, because his birthday is tomorrow! He went back and forth between the two and then, like he'd been thinking it the whole time but had been afraid to ask, he said, "an iPod?" Then he quickly went on to say, "I probably ought to think of something else, huh? That's too expensive." Travis and I were standing there and we could tell an iPod was truly what he wanted. The sweet fact that Justis had kept his gift wish under wraps because it was expensive is a good picture of what makes Justis so special. He's always thinking of others first, but I'm so glad we got to see that HE wanted for a change. We love you, Justis Shane.

Cabin Pictures

Never underestimate the photography skills of an 8-year-old. She's gotten her money's worth out of that camera plus some, and she's getting very good at taking pictures. I said in the last post that I didn't get many pics of the cabin. Madalynn did, though! Here are just a few.

Mr. Dawson is looking quite handsome in his fishing attire...

Did Justis drop something or is he fishing for moss?


Justis and Dawson ready to push off...


The boys and their shades. Justis is wearing Great-Grandpa Rader's and Dawson is wearing mine.

Jillian never stopped going until her head hit the pillow each day...and in this case she kept going even after her head hit the pillow.


Justis loved playing hide-and-seek outside with the other three.

They were up and at 'em bright and early every morning for breakfast and adventures.

Dawson got so tired of having his picture snapped when he was relaxed that he basically boycotted the camera after his first day at the cabin.

The Cabin

"Have you ever been down to Colorado?
I spend a lot of time there in my mind.
And if God doesn't live in Colorado,
I'll bet that's where He spends most of his time."
--Merle Haggard

Travis and the kids posing in the rain on the cabin deck so I can take a pic of them and the pretty rainbow

Madalynn was the only one who saw Travis's big catch...the littlest northern pike I've EVER seen. Hehe!


Travis, the kids and I stayed at my grandparent's summer home/cabin at Lake George, Colorado. for the first five days of our family vacation at the end of June/beginning of July. Our cabin stay was wonderful.

My grandparents have been overly generous in allowing us to stay at the cabin several times since Travis and I have been married and even gave up their anniversary stay in 2001 so we could honeymoon there! I also have to thank my parents who invited us to share their cabin time with them a couple of those trips.

I have so many stories and memories about the cabin that I've had trouble writing this blog and keeping it focused. I keep finding myself digressing into little rabbit trails about this memory or that. I have decided to gradually write all of these little memories down, but I'll save those stories for a "slow" time in the year.

Our vacation intention was for purposeful time for just the six of us so we could enjoy each other and be "forced" into a peaceful atmosphere to enjoy each other without the stressors of the daily grind. So we planned only two "events" to do for the five days we were there, leaving the other full three days to relax and stay at or close to the cabin enjoying nature.

The two best things about The Cabin is that everyone leaves it the same, on purpose, and that my grandpa and grandma have intentially made it a restful, peaceful place.

The Cabin is not a place to just go and stay while visiting other destinations. The Cabin IS the destination. Quiet, isolation, the smell of fresh pines, listening to the hum of hummingbirds, viewing the wildlife, fishing, time to read, time to talk with the family and sitting on the swing viewing snow-capped Pike's Peak leaves no need for leaving the cabin to go anywhere else really.

I totally spaced on taking pictures of the actual cabin itself, so here are pictures of everything we did during our relaxation days.

A Day at The North Pole

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Did you know the North Pole and Santa’s workshop is actually located in Cascade, Colorado?

The North Pole is a Christmas-themed amusement park at the foot of Pike’s Peak near Colorado Springs, complete with its own United States Post Office, claiming the official zip code for The North Pole! The North Pole has been around for a long time. I went as a little girl, if you need a time frame.

The North Pole was a vision of Walt Disney’s. A little girl told him all about what she thought the North Pole was like, and he ran with the idea and made plans for a North Pole-themed amusement park. The park is geared toward younger kids, I’d say 12and younger.

Our kids were all the PERFECT age for the North Pole this year. All of them could ride most of the rides together without the help of Travis and me. We didn’t complain when we “had” to sit on the big-kid rides with the kids, however.

Dawson’s favorite ride was the motorcycles. You’ve seen them. The motorcycle ride is just like the ones you see at a carnival. They go round and round, have two seats and, of course, a cute little horn on each one that the kids can honk to their hearts’ content. Dawson’s rode one big kid ride, the tilt-o-whirl, and then decided he wasn’t quite ready for the rest of the more “dangerous” rides.

The tilt-o-whirl, on the other hand, was Madalynn’s favorite ride. I don’t know if she liked it most because she just spun and spun and spun around, or if she liked it because Travis and all four kids got experience it together in one seat. She bravely rode all of the big kid rides and was bummed that the big Ferris wheel shut down (due to weather) before we got to ride.

Justis’s favorite ride was the roller coaster. Imagine that! He, not to be outdone by big sister Madalynn, also rode all of the big kid rides. He’s not much for heights, I discovered. I can’t blame him, because neither am I! During his last ride on the rocking boat with me and Madalynn, he calmly said, “Okay, Mom, I don’t like this ride. I want it to stop.” That’s about the same time I was thinking, “Why did I agree to get on this ride. I want to get off NOW!” I gently encouraged him to close his eyes and explained it was normal to be scared on some rides. He quietly said, “No. I’ll just look down at my feet. I don’t need to shut my eyes. We then proceeded to swing back and forth, higher and higher, until the ride stopped. He got off, I gave him a high five for bravery, and we walked away smiling.

Jillian said her favorite ride was, “Red. The red motorcycle and the red boat.” Simple as that! Jillian likes anything red. Red is currently the “concept” (it can’t be described as an object) of her affection. She was NOT afraid of any ride she rode, which was most of them. She made clear to us which rides she wanted to pass on, and we happily catered to her request.

The scrambler is my favorite ride, and always has been. I got to sit with Justis when we rode it, and Madalynn, since she was tall enough, rode by herself. I can’t believe my stomach can still handle the spinning. I’m SO glad I still have my “stomach of steel” so I can enjoy riding rides. I enjoy them just as much as the kids.

Travis got off the tilt-o-whirl, after riding with the five kids, with a green and sweaty face. He didn’t say anything, but I asked. He said he knows better and shouldn’t have gotten on that ride. He said rides that spin independently while spinning in a large circle have always made his stomach a little off-tilt. To his credit, he did it for the kids. They wanted to ride with Travis, so he obliged. Travis’s favorite part of the day was watching the kids enjoy themselves so much.
Can I have two favorite parts of the day? Sure. (Duh! I’m the writer of this blog.) My second-favorite part of the day is that no one got sick! Justis and Travis were feeling ill after spinning together one too many times on the boat swings as we hurriedly rushed out of the park. Rain started falling shortly after they rode that ride together. We got in the car and the 40-minute winding ride back to the cabin didn’t help their stomachs. They lay down for a good thirty minutes when we got home and were good to go after that.

We then ate supper and watched the movie “Matilda” together, then called it a night!