Road Trip, Rental Houses, and Wedding Plans...Wonderful!!! Part 2

After we left Monty's Mom and Dad's house in Oklahoma,  we headed to TEXAS to see my (Nancy's) parents.

We had a GREAT time.  Mom and Dad were so excited to meet the Schaefer's and we planned a PIZZA PARTY for the whole family.  All of Barrett's cousins and all of my siblings wanted to meet Devin and food is always a good plan!!!

Love it when family gets together!!

Sweet cousins!

Devin had gotten Barrett a BIG bag of Reece's peanut butter cups (these are his favorites) as a surprise!  She wanted to give them to him in an unusual way, SO,  Leah made up some very amazing riddles and they sent Barrett on a TREASURE HUNT!!!  Barrett went all over Mema and Grandaddy's house looking for the next "riddle" clue!  When Barrett found the last clue it led him to Devin.  She was hiding the candy and we all know that she is truly Barrett's sweetest treasure!!  Such fun!

Things people will do for a treasure!

SKI TRIP 2011-----COLORADO HERE WE COME!!!!!!

We are still in Texas and yes there is snow on the ground.  Now remember that these pics were taken in December 2011.  I am just a BIT behind in getting this blog written.  There was a big snowstorm in Texas when we left and it had even closed some of the roads, but we pushed on until we made it to Colorado.

We made it to Summit County and the kids (this would include Gene and Monty) all went skiing.  They had a grand time and would come in late in the afternoon and head to the hot tub!  What a life!!! 

We also spent some time in Estes Park.  Had a great Shabbat with friends and after Shabbat the kids got into a big and very serious ( not really)  poker game.  We had a great time of fun and fellowship!

Went driving around a little bit and found some elk!  They were harder to find this year.  They are usually everywhere.  Not sure for the difference this year, but we did manage to find some beautiful animals!!

We went back to Summit County to spend the rest of our time with the Schaefer's.  We had some sad news around this time.  One of the pups that Ruth had passed away from pneumonia.  Took him to the vet and had him on meds and in an oxygen tent, but he was just too little.  Still didn't have his eyes open.  It was hard and emotional, but we are so grateful for the one little pup we have left!  He is adorable and loves to stay wrapped up in a towel in front of the fireplace!  So Cute!!

We decided to try our hand at BOWLING!!  Ok, the Schaefer's are GOOD!!  The Warren's not so GOOD!  We tried, but even with Leah bowling with her left hand and her right hand being in a sling, she did better than me.  BUT,  we had a blast!!!

  The sunsets are amazing in Summit County, but the time did come to leave Colorado and head for Oklahoma!!  We will end this blog with a beautiful Colorado Sunset!!  More to come in Part 3! We will eventually get to rental houses and wedding plans!  Just hang in there!  We'll talk soon!!! 

Road Trip, Rental Houses, and Wedding Plans...WONDERFUL! Part 1

That's right, folks!  We Warrens have been a tab-bit busy these last couple of months!  It has been wonderful, but also a little crazy! 

Well, let's get started...

We got back from Israel at the beginning of November and went straight to my nieces wedding in Dallas.  I thought we had some pics, but can't find them.  Just trust me when I say that the wedding was beautiful!!!


Our trusty suburban (1995 model) is great, but we are a bit concerned about taking it on a long road trip. So Dayton and Monty spent quite a bit of time finding us a new (used) car.  They found one and it is beautiful!!!  We should be able to travel in safety and style.  WOO HOO!!  ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

We spent some time with family and then on December 5th we headed to Virginia to spend time with Devin and her family.  We had a terrific time and got to meet most of Devin's family.  They had one day where people came to the house to meet Barrett and one night we all went to Devin's Aunt and Uncles' house to play volleyball in the barn.  WOW!  It was so cold, but we all had a great time!




We spent around 8 days with everyone in Virginia and then headed down to North Carolina to meet up with some friends from Alaska.  They were in N. Carolina to see family and were kind enough to invite us to come and meet their family, too.  We stayed one night with them and had a grand time.  The kids rode horses,  played basketball (Barrett and Dayton made quite a show) and they stayed up late playing Clue.  Devin says she will never play Clue with the Warren kids.  They take it way too seriously!!!

We got up early the next morning to the smell of pancakes!  Now let me tell you,  there is nothing better than waking up to the wonderful smell of PANCAKES!!!  YUM!  Had a terrific breakfast and then had to hit the road for Oklahoma.  Said goodbye and loaded up the car.

Oklahoma HERE WE COME!!!  We made it to Monty's folks in Oklahoma!  YEA!!  This is so much fun!  Barrett's grandparents are so glad to meet Devin and her family.  We had a sweet little surprise while we were there.  RUTHIE (our tiny, adorable yorkie)  had puppies!!!  She delivered 3 pups, but one was stillborn.  That was sad, but we focused on the blessing of the other two pups!  Here they are...

Ok, this post is probably long enough.  We will pick where we leave off on the next post.  We will be in TEXAS by that time.  Texas--there is just something about TEXAS!!!!  We'll talk soon!

Here they are!!!!! Betrothal pictures! Sorry it took so long!! Enjoy!!!!

 Thanks to Heather Meyers for the amazing pics. They are awesome!!!!! 

I am hoping to get my pics up soon.

THE DAY HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!

Monty praying for Barrett and Devin

OCTOBER 2, 2011---


The day of the betrothal has arrived!!!  We got up early (don't think Barrett slept at all) and headed up to where the Schaefers are staying!  This morning is special because today Barrett and Devin will make their commitment to one another!  So...we are on our way to pick up the Schaefers and then the Bride and Groom will both participate in a mikveh.  This is the Hebrew term for "collection."  As in a pool of water.  According to tradition,  when a person is beginning a new stage in life they immerse themselves in a pool of fresh water.  Normally water that is moving, like a spring fed pool or lake.  Well, Barrett and Devin will be having a mikveh this morning to show that they are entering a new stage in life!  The pictures you are about to see will give you an idea of what went on at the mikveh pool!  It is not a baptism, but a tangible way to show that their lives are changing!  This is just a tradition, but they thought it was a great way to start their new life together!  This mikveh pool is at the bottom of the Mount of Blessing!  In scripture this is Mount Gerazim!  How wonderful to be in this land for such a special day!

Both the Dads (Gene and Monty) prayed over our children!  It has been so wonderful to share all of this with Gene and Lorrie!  We have found out that we have so much that we agree on and we both love our children and want what is best for them!  Such a great blessing to have two families be able to come together this way!  It has been an amazing gift from the Father in Heaven!

We will be sending Betrothal pictures just as soon as we get them ready!  So sorry that it has taken so long, but we have met ourselves coming and going!  It has been SO busy around here!!  The betrothal was better than we could have dreamed!  The marriage feast should be just as great!!!

Thank you for all the wonderful notes of blessing on Barrett and Devin!  It means so much to them and us!  We only have a short time left here in Israel and are looking forward to seeing family and friends in the States!   This will be a hard time as Barrett will be leaving his beloved Bride here in Israel!  He will not see her until December!  Please keep them in your prayers!  We are going to try to keep Barrett so busy that the time between now and the marriage feast will fly by!  Tentative plans are for the marriage feast to be around the end of March or the first week of April!  We will keep you posted on any info! 

Blessings and Shalom from Jerusalem,
The Warrens

The water was very cold

Barrett praying that the Father in Heaven will bless his new family

I told you that the water was VERY cold

Nothing like a bear hug from your Dad to get you warm

Such a special time