Our First Visitors!

In the third week of February we had the pleasure of our first official visitors (outside of family).  I just realized today (12/28) that I never finalized this post! It has been a "draft" since April, I think...

Anywho, I won't say much, just that we had an incredible time with Tim and Jo! We took them to: Siesta Key Beach, LeeRoy Selmon's, and spend most of our time laughing as usual.  Sorry it took so long to share!

Jo and I at Siesta

I think Robert was making fun of me because I somehow tore the bag as I creased the top after folding it over lol

Tim and Jo

Robert and I

Yummy LeeRoy's!

Interesting sand art on Siesta...and yes, the sand is really that pale!

Exploring Bradenton

So sometime last month (or March possibly lol) we finally got out and explored a little more of Bradenton.  The first place we went is called DeSoto Memorial Park, named for the famed explorer (he's pretty big around here).  There are a few trails that wind throughout the park, shadowed by thick tree growth and bits of shells embedded in the paths. 

Once you park, the first thing you see is the areas in which they perform re-enactments of interactions between the explorers and the natives. (Sorry, forgot to take pictures of that.) Continue on and you'll see an inviting grassy area with this pictured monument and incredible trees (they fascinate me!).  Turn around at that awesome tree and you'll see this...

We quickly got started down trail, enjoying the view as we leisurely strolled.  (The water was to our left.)

We came across this wooden pathway and decided we were feeling adventurous. 

 

We met some new friends along the way.          And admired God's incredible handiwork

We found a tree growing in the middle of a tree!

The trail rounded and we came to open air at DeSoto Point, looking out over Manatee River.

Next, our explorations took us Robinson Preserve.  Note that these two places are pretty much right next to each other... for DeSoto Memorial go straight, for Robinson Preserve you turn left.

Robinson has camping grounds, fishing, and miles and miles of trails.  We didn't last long here as we didn't realize the size of the places and did not have enough water on us. Or sunscreen. So we walked for ten minutes and then turned around.

Okay so I am feeling the need to blog about my latest food adventures...I tried three new recipes in one week alone! It's fun and I feel more and more confident, especially with such a supportive husband =).

#1: Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas
          These were super yummy! Let the chicken marinade for about an hour and you are good to go. This recipe was quite a bit of work though in prep.

#2: Sloppy Joes
           Who knew that homemade 'Joes are even better than Manwich??? Ketchup, BBQ sauce, garlic powder, mustard, a dash of Worcestershire, salt and pepper.... delicious!!!

#3: Stuffed Shells, Taco Style
          Probably exactly what you are picturing... I made a taco meat mixture (with cheese/sour cream/salsa), stuffed that in the shells, placed them in a casserole dish with a layer of black beans on the bottom to keep them from tipping over. Top with salsa and cheese and throw it in the oven!

#4: Lentil-Zucchini burritos/tacos
          Um, yeah. We recently discovered lentils are not that bad...cook them kind of like rice, toss in a little cumin, garlic, onion, salt and pepper, add diced zucchini, salsa, and cheese....voila! Stuff your tacos or burritos to your heart's content.

#5: Baked Zucchini
          Well, you've heard of baked spaghetti? Same concept except that you layer the meat and/or cheese over some halved zucchini. Actually pretty delicious and one whole zucchini is only 12 calories!

So those are my recent adventures...let me know if you want more details on the recipes!

Christine

The Church Search

So I realized that I am doing a horrible job with this whole blogging thing - here's the latest on our "Church Search"

For the last few months we've been regularly attending a church called The Bridge Church at Palma Sola Bay aka The Bridge.  This is where we met our new friends and have gotten connected to a wonderful life group!  Little things keep popping up though that make us go hmmm, concerning the church.  I think we've come to realize that these are things that we are not willing to compromise on and need to keep looking for a church home. 

So, with that in mind, we headed out to a church called Woodland Community Church (I think formerly Woodland Baptist Church).... and we loved it!  You can definitely tell they are Baptists, that's for sure lol! We really appreciated their balance of being contemporary but not compromising who they are, which is something we have concluded about The Bridge.  The Bridge also has a Baptist background but seems to be one of those churches who has gone so modern and contemporary in an effort to reach people that they have compromised who they are.  From what we've learned, they shy away from taking a firm stance on issues.  And no, they are not all bad, they have a lot of good there; people with great hearts and good intentions but we just don't feel God leading us to stay there and support them. 

We are really excited to go back to Woodland next week!  I think this is the first time that we've felt that way about any of the churches we visited, including The Bridge.  We are definitely ready to be part of a church family again - it's amazing how you realize the importance of being part of a like-minded family once you are away from that.  Not only are we ready but we NEED a church family.  Lord willing we are almost there!

Please keep praying for us! God has been so good and we know He has more for us.

Love and Blessings from the Saldanas!

Bonne Annee! Feliz Nuevo Ano! Happy New Year! ...2012...

Hey everyone,

So I thought this would be a great way to do an annual "family update letter" that most people send out with their Christmas cards. Since I'm horrible with sending cards, I thought this medium would be the perfect place to let you all know what's going on with Robert and I and what we're looking forward to this year.

We can hardly believe that we've been here in Bradenton for just about six months already! And on top of that, it's 2012?!? Crazy! Anyway, so let's get on with the update =)...

Robert and I are still loving our apartment... currently in a one-bedroom, we are hoping to upgrade to a two-bedroom when our lease comes up in July. No, we aren't expecting any new additions, we are just realizing how quickly you accumulate stuff once you get married lol. A second bedroom would give us a little more breathing room to get things comfortably organized. And I'm sure we would stay in that apartment long enough (2 years?) to need that second bedroom. Who knows...all in God's timing! We're hoping to be able to buy a house in about three years or so...

Work is moving along... no changes for either of us yet, although I'm hoping to get back into teaching at some point; I just have to finish jumping through a few more hoops to get there!

Robert and I are also trying to figure out when we can go home for a visit... trying to coordinate time off (and finances!) is quite the challenge! February was our first goal and we're now on to goal three, which is April (I think). I suppose it's looking more and more like it will be almost a whole year before we get back to CA =(. In the mean time, our home is always open to those who can get to us before we get to you!

We got through the holidays with the help of Skype and our new friends here. There were definitely moments of sadness and melancholy but also joy when we got to see our loved ones, if only through a webcam. We were able to Skype with Robert's family on Christmas Eve before our party...My how little Sammie is growing! We can't wait to hold her! We had friends over that night, which was a lot of fun and also a blessing to have friends to spend time with. On Christmas day, we were able to Skype with my family after enjoying a lovely brunch with friends. Then for New Year's, what a blessing that we were able to spend a couple of days with Cisco, who was in town (sort of - on the other side of the state lol).

So now here we are, it's 2012, already January 6th... who knows what God has in store for us this coming year. Last year was filled with unexpected blessings and changes, growing us and challenging us. We are ready to face whatever is coming this year, resting in the knowledge that God has plans for us and that it is ok to not know those plans. In due time He'll reveal the story He's written for us.

Until then,
Love and God Bless!

Christine & Robert