Indiana we love you

Mr. Gill and I are in Columbus IN today visiting our family. We've had a really great time visiting all of our family and friends.
A couple of highlights include:
1. Spooky Memorial! My family has a golf outing every fall and it's like a mini family reunion for the Lentes side, I'm really glad Mr. Gill and I were able to see so much of our family while we were here.
2. The covered bridge festival.....which was like a big flea market (I got a CUTE big green purse on the cheap). I got to encourage the aggressive driver that's been hiding in my mom as we were trying to get out of the parking lot and then We got stuck in traffic for 2 hours....and the house was only 20 miles away.....but it was quality car time.
3. We've spent SO much time visiting with old friends! It was so great to hear how everyone is doing and to talk about how God is shaking things up for us in Boise.
4. Seeing all the baby mommas and new babies! There is something in the water....it seems like everyone we know in Indiana has or is getting ready to have a baby!
5. Karaoke with Mom and Pop Gill and Ronald! Mr. Gill and Ron each sang a song on their own and the they did If I had a million dollars by the bare naked ladies....Mr. Gill sang the higher part (but not a real green dress that's cruel) and it was AWESOME!

We still have a couple more days here in the Midwest, and I'm sure we'll have more fun stories to share.

In other news....I'm posting from our new iPad, which I don't think I really know how to use very well at all. It's all this app stuff, I can't really figure it out....but maybe someday soon I'll at least figure out how to move pictures off the iPad onto the blog or picasa...so, unfortunately no pictures today......which would have been of Mr. Gill playing video games since thats how he's spent 80 percent of his time here at the Gill house ;)

Anyway, pictures to come in the next post when I'm back at a device I know how to use!

Jenny G

Miss You

So about 2 months ago I went to Jackson Hole Wyoming to meet up with my Aunt Amy and my Grandma Lentes! I would have told you about it earlier....but I wanted to spend some time working on practicing my photoshop editing skills.
But then I didn't practice at all, but I did edit them a little bit.

Anyway, it was super great to spend a weekend with them. It is absolutely beautiful in Jackson Hole. Even just the drive from Boise was gorgeous, I felt like I was traveling through all these small mountain villages nested into the valleys that were just sleepy and peaceful.
The town is a ski resort for sure but it's set against the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone is just a short drive.
We took some driving tours of lakes and rode the Gondola up to 10,500 ft!
AMAZING! I can see why people move west....not just to run from the law (although I'm sure that happens).

It was such a gift from God to be able to have the time and money to take that trip.
Mr. Gill and I moved to Idaho from Indiana the day after christmas. We haven't been back in the midwest since then and I haven't seen anyone in my family in 10 long months.
We are blessed to have 2 of Mr. Gill's sisters here in the treasure valley with us, and his mom and one other sister were able to visit in May-which was awesome but a girl misses her Mom you know what I mean? I talk to my mom every couple of days-and sometimes even my dad will yell hello on the other end of the phone but-its not the same. I miss the smell of their house, the sounds my siblings laughing all together....the way that my mom likes to twirl my hair when she's sitting next to me....I like it when anyone does that btw. And this is weird but ALL my siblings will agree that stealing a sip of coke from my dad's glass tastes better than if we have our own (I think it's the sweetness of the forbidden fruit....since dad did not like us drinking his pop).
All this to say that having a chance to be with my family for a weekend was wonderful. I stayed w/my Aunt Amy for a summer after high school (convinced me to go to school for therapy) and w/my Grandparents right after college when I started my first job in Chicago.....so I feel like I am pretty close with those two wonderful ladies. I mean, once you live w/them they know how messy you are in real life and love you anyway-so that's close. I was just myself and enjoyed hanging with them knowing that I was already known and loved by them....that's a gift that family *biological or not* can give you.

Moving to Boise has been a beautiful thing for Mr. Gill and I. Not only an act of obedience to being called here to start the church but also we've learned a lot about who we are as individuals and as a married couple. It has not always been easy......but often beautiful things do not come from the easy route or a 10% effort.

Things that show beauty are things that had to push their way up through the dirt, that were pushed in pain and strenuous effort into life and often things that require a lot of sacrifice to continue to grow. Worth the effort?
Yes! A million times yes-the beauty God give us is always worth the effort...but-hello, it's effort.
And I miss my momma! and sisters and baby bro.
And my dad with his sweet cigar smell and golf stories....and all our friends....and seeing where Mr. Gill and I had our first date/dance/run/picnic....all of those beautiful things. :)

I miss Indiana.


But we are headed back to visit in just a couple of weeks! So....I'll be good to go for another 10 months ;)

Its kind of surprising the things you miss when you are gone for a while? What are the things you notice yourself missing when you aren't with your family? Or in the place you grew up?

Flour Mill Adventures

My mother-in-law (M-I-L) is pretty much awesome, for more than several reasons....one of them being that she and her husband gave Michael and I their old flour mill.

So, it goes like this....I have wanted to be a frontier girl since I was like, maybe 11. Seriously...Kirsten from American Girl was my favorite, I wanted to be her and have a little indian friend I brought bread to down by the creek and have warm stones at the foot of my bed to keep my toes from freezing. Or Frontier House anyone? I LOVE PBS...but that is for another time. And now that I have a little time on my hands I have started making homemade bread.

My MIL asked me how that was going and after talking about what it would look like to get locally milled flour, she offered their old flour mill. She used to make homemade bread all the time and even made some 'dough' by selling it (hehe), and they ground their own flour. She sent us home w/the mill, some wheatberries and instructions.

The Mill

When I turned the mill on it sort of sounded like a jet trying to take off in my dining room....and there was a big puff of flour-it was so awesome.

The basic idea of grinding wheatberries into flour is you put them through the mill and the end result is nicely ground flour. This mill has varying settings from coarse (cracked wheat-ish) to fine (pastry flour). I followed my MIL recommendations for medium fine ground.

The Berries

Into The Mill

And The Finished Product

So, now we grind our own wheat! Hurray for lots of healthy, freshly baked bread! Now I just need that little indian friend. ;)

~Jenny