Saturday nights at the Dayton's

Saturday Zach planned a HUGE BBQ at our house. I wasn't expecting it, but over 20 people showed up to our house! Luckily we made it "potluck" style and everyone brought a ton of food. So we grilled out, had a fire going, people playing guitars/fiddles, volleyball games, and the end of the night turned into a dance party in the kitchen with a few friends that felt like dancing. It was so fun! I am definitely LOVING Colorado in the summertime :) And I feel so happy and blessed for all of the friendships that we've made since we've been here. 

(Sorry for the blurry phone photos, I'm working on getting a new camera soon!)

The Grill Master 

My first quarter is over!

Today I finished my first out of seven quarters at Bel-Rea! 

It went by so fast, and I know the rest of my time will fly by as well. I LOVE this school! I went to a veterinary technician school in Virginia before moving to Colorado, and it doesn't compare at all to Bel-Rea. It's a small school, so you call the teachers by their first names, you get to know everyone in your classes, and it just feels comfortable and secure. I'm also learning a lot more in the classrooms because they're so interactive compared to watching a teacher on a screen. If you or anyone you know is contemplating going to Veterinary Technician school, I definitely recommend Bel-Rea! 

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

This past weekend I got my new study, Lord, Teach Me to Pray. I saw the study over at Bloom and knew that I needed to read this one! I pray often, but in all honesty there are plenty of days that I "forget" or "don't think about it." This study is really helping me realize that the relationship between me and God is ALL about communication, ahem.. PRAYER. It's helping me realize that communication with God should be a number one priority, topping my current priorities like school or taking care of my family. I'm learning and digging deeper into the word already, and I'm only on day 3! So I highly suggest this book and hope that you can get a lot out of it as well!

I love how interactive this study is. Kay tells us about the ways she marks scripture in her bible to help her study it. Such as different ways for marking prayer, The Word, and more. She tells us to underline key words in certain verses to really understand them better, and it helps! She guides you through certain verses, and then asks questions in the book regarding what you read in order for you to understand and dig deeper into the word. 

I ordered this book for only $10 on amazon, so I hope that you will buy a copy as well and start learning the importance and power of prayer! 

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

This weekend I crossed another item off of the Colorado To-Do List! 

I went with Zach and couple friends to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo! It was so beautiful. It was located on the side of a mountain, and as you kept going through, you would get higher up. Some of the views over Colorado were awesome! The best part was that we got to feed giraffes! SO FUN!

Summer reading

IT'S SUMMER! 

Which means it's time for a summer reading list! Although I only get a 3 week break this summer because of school, I still want to read some books that have been on my list for a long time. A couple of these books I've even started and have yet to finish. 

So here's my list, including a couple of books I don't have copies of just yet.

Lord, Teach Me to Pray

Love Does

The Fault in Our Stars

The Circle Maker

Water for Elephants

Praying God's Word

Everything is Illuminated

Follow Me

Life of Pi

The Happiness Project

  Are there any summer reading books that you recommend?  

June goals

It's June! Can you believe it? I can't! I've been in Colorado for 5 months now. It's finally gone from freezing temperatures and brown trees/grass to an amazing 80 degrees (without humidity or mosquitos!) and bright green trees everywhere. I know this month is going to be so fun and full of adventures!

Looking back at my May goals I was pretty satisfied in everything I accomplished: 

1. Finish the office renovations. We finished the new shelves, but still have one more project in the making that we haven't finished just yet.. but SOON!

2. Complete the She Reads Truth Prayer in the Bible study. I'm ALMOST done with this. This study has really helped me be obedient in prayer and I've loved it! I'm already itching to do my next study, which I'll talk about in the June goals.

3. Start and stick to a running schedule. This didn't happen... I ran three times and then it snowed in the middle of May and I haven't been out running since! Going to add this again into my June goals.

4. Have a get together for Zach's birthday/Memorial day. This happened! We had delicious food, country music, and lots of friends over to hang out!

5. Have one weekend with JUST Zach. This happened a couple of times! And it was very refreshing and relaxing :)

Now for my June Goals

1. Begin Lord, Teach me to Pray. I saw a post about this study on Bloom and the study looks great! 

2. Finish my first quarter of school with a 4.0. Only one more week of classes!

3. Have an AMAZING time in Yellowstone National Park camping with a few friends! SO excited for this trip!

4. Do the incline. The incline is a crazy, intense staircase up a mountain that gives you an amazing workout. A lot of the military guys test themselves on this hike, so it's intense! It's closing for a little bit of construction in August, so I'd like to do it before then, and before it gets too hot.

5. Go to a farmer's market.

6. Start and STICK TO a running schedule! For real this time ;)

Those are my goals! Hoping to complete all of them this month!

What are your goals for this month?

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to my husband, Zach! This is his fourth birthday we've celebrated together. I'm so thankful for him and so thankful for what God has done for our marriage. If you would of asked me less than a year ago if I thought I would get married at 23, leave my job, school, friends, and family, and pack up and move to Colorado where I knew no one, I would of thought you were nuts! But trusting in God and jumping out in faith was one of the best decisions I've made. I'm so happy to be here with him and to be married to him. He is so thoughtful, faithful, and eager to better our marriage every day! Happy birthday to the best husband ever!