Back to school

Heather and I had a conversation with another couple yesterday about taking first day of school pictures.  Unfortunately Heather and I didn't have a sign to hold up saying "First day of 17.5th grade" so we didn't take a picture.  Sorry.

This campus is stunning!  This Colorado native is not used to the humidity and moisture but it sure keeps the grounds looking great.

Wrapping Things Up

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We are getting ready to leave for Champaign , IL tomorrow. Getting projects wrapped up at JDS-Hydro (civil engineering) and MVP (photography) has been exhausting. As odd as it sounds we are looking forward to spending some time together driving as a family.

When Heather and I started this year we talked a lot about where we wanted to see our family. Not necessarily geographically, but as a family unit. We didn't know wanted our family life to look like but started praying and really being open to new opportunities. Little did we know God would put FOCUS in our path.

One of those opportunities was my first wedding photography job. It ended up being a rewarding and scary experience. There were endless changes the day of the wedding, dropped and broken equipment, a near fight at the park just to name a few of the wedding day experiences. Once the wedding day was complete there were still the photographs to edit. The emotions of joy, happiness, stress, sadness and frustration were all present in that process. Just like the wedding day, our transition into FOCUS is full of emotion and rewards.

We have spent the last two weeks getting everything ready, packed, forwarded and checked off the list. We still have work to do tonight but tomorrow we are off. Wish us luck and pray for us!

P.S. The wedding photographs were everything hoped for and more. Here is a link to some of the finished photographs.

Cleaning out the office

Friday I took the first box of books and papers out of my office.  It was bittersweet to be cleaning out some of the old projects and papers.  Leaving a career and a company that I enjoy to enter the mission field is a big exercise in faith for Heather and our family.  We started the process one step at a time and that is how we are continuing it.  One paper, one book, one box at a time.

This has been my view for nearly six years!

My next office could be anywhere in the US!

Free Falling!

The Valentines have made the jump and we are free falling.  In late April we became a part of the interview process with the Fellowship of Catholic University Students or FOCUS for short.  Both Heather and I have been involved with FOCUS for the last 8 years in one way or another.  In college we were in Bible studies, went to student Mass, went on mission trips, became disciples and student leaders.  After college Heather and I have been a part of mission support teams and attended conferences.

Here we are on May 17^th and Heather, Eli, Luke and I are 1 week away from leaving for Illinois to attend 5 weeks of new staff training!  We are so excited.  FOCUS thinks that our family will be a great addition to their team and so do we.

The past 4 weeks have been a little crazy.  Letting my current employer know that we are leaving, wrapping up projects and planning 5 weeks away is keeping us busy.

We are not sure what our schedule will be over the next six months or which campus we will be placed.  We are taking this all one day at a time.

For more information of FOCUS you can check out their website or leave a comment below.


2011-2012 Statistics
o    FOCUS missionaries are serving on 58 campuses in 28 States throughout the country
o    Current Missionaries: 264
o    New Missionaries: 105
o    Students involved in FOCUS nationally: 8,000+
o    Religious Vocations fostered since 1998: 336
o    Training: Each missionary receives over 400+ hours of world-class training in Catechesis, Evangelization, Stewardship and Leadership Development