A Happy Day

Last Monday was such a wonderful day. It was Jody's birthday, and since the temperature here in Denver was over 100° and the fires all over Colorado had cast a heavy, cloudy, gritty haze over the city, we decided it would be wonderful to go rest in a safe part of the mountains. As Jody said, he wanted to ease gracefully into old age. Ha!

We decided on Pine Valley Ranch, near Pine, CO. Very family-friendly with all kinds of amenities we're not used to when backpacking, the Open Space was great for a low-key afternoon! Bathrooms, picnic benches, trash cans, clearly marked pathways. Almost luxury!

We found a spot out of the intense heat (even in the mountains it was around 90) under some huge pines and next to a cool, rushing river. We 'tethered' the pups and hung our hammocks up. It was awesome. We read, slept and just listened to the sound of the water. The pups behaved fairly well, too. Since the flies were pretty bad low to the ground, I felt so badly for them and brought them up to be with me in my hammock. I think they were so relieved to be away from the flies that they slept and lounged in my lap pretty contentedly most of the afternoon after that. I was so proud of them!

Since going out to eat is a pretty special occasion in Jo's world, he decided he wanted to celebrate his birthday in true Texas style. And so, after heading home and cleaning up a bit, to Texas Roadhouse we went! In the car, I mentioned the fact that it was so strange that the boots he won in the February Anderson Bean "Bean My Valentine" boot contest had not arrived yet... though it had been four months and my free boots had arrived several months ago. I told Jo I might call AB and see if something had happened. So, after dinner we came home and, lo and behold... what was on our porch?

Jody's FREE BOOTS!

So excited!

Perfect timing, Anderson Bean!

Smelling that wonderful leather smell

Had to get the full shot. :)

Our FREE and beautiful boots!

Many of you asked for a picture of our contest prizes, so I wanted to oblige you. While I make no claim to being a cowgirl, it was so much fun to win the contest with everyone's help. Thank you, to everyone who made this possible!

And it really was the perfect end to Jody's birthday. Happy Birthday, my love!

Beans for Beens!

Unbeknownst to me, way back in February, Jody decided that I needed a pair of cowboy boots. I already own a beat-up, old pair that are probably from the '70s and oh-so comfortable. But Jody wanted me to have a pair that could kinda match his Anderson Bean boots. And he knew just how he was going to get them for me.

A Texas-based cowboy boot company called Anderson Bean has a Facebook page, which Jody "liked" and so subscribed to all their updates since he bought a pair of AB boots last year. (SEE THEIR WEBSITE here.) Occasionally, the company will host a contest. This past February, there was a contest called the '2012 AB "BEAN" My Valentine Contest' that was purely run on Facebook. The story and rules of this contest were as follows:


Every boot has a story and we want to see why you love your Anderson Beans. Whether you won your first buckle or met the love of your life in Anderson Beans, we want to hear why you love your boots! 


1) Submit a picture with the pair of boots that you love to contest@andersonbean.com. All entries must be received by February 12, 2012.
2) The photos will be posted in the “Bean” my Valentine album on the Anderson Bean Face Book Page on February 13th for our fans to go vote on. By showing that they “Like” a photo a vote will be cast for it.
3) The contest will end February 29th at 5:00 pm

Grand Prize
The photo with the most “Likes” will be selected as the Grand Prize winner and will receive a “Couples” pair of Anderson Bean stock non-exotic boots, a pair of Anderson Bean T-Shirts and a set of Anderson bean Koozies. The photo will also be featured on the Anderson Bean website and Facebook page.

Runner-Up
We will select the runner up for the contest by having our staff choose their favorite submission. The Runner-Up will receive a set of Anderson Bean T-Shirts and matching Anderson Bean Koozies. That photo will also be featured on the Anderson Bean website and Facebook page.

GOOD LUCK! We can’t wait to see all of your loved boots. Will you “Bean” my Valentine?

So, Jody decided that he would send in a picture of ours as a submission to the contest (what?!). The picture Jo sent in was one that my sister's fiance, Justin Ferry took during a photoshoot while we were in VA (see more pictures from the photoshoot here), and it was one of many great shots that Justin captured. We had, however, never intended for it to be used for anything beyond perhaps a collage on our wall at home. 

When Jody sent it in to Anderson Bean, he included this description, which was attached to the Facebook page for everyone to read:

My boots are in memory of my brother. He passed away just over a year ago, January 25th. I bought them shortly after that as a little way to remember him everywhere I go. My boots mean more to me than I can ever express. Secondly, my wife has an old pair of boots and would love to see Mrs. Been (yes, that's our last name!) in a new pair of Beans. She is an amazing woman and has supported me through a very hard year. We have little money, but she deserves the world. I would love to see her blessed this way.

So, the contest began. There were 59 submissions, several of them great stories and excellent photos. Most were far more "legit" than ours. I mean, some of these people actually use the boots for what they are intended. Imagine that! Suburbanite that I am, I just like them 'cause they're fun. Ha! 

Anyway (I digress), the contest began, and so Jody and I began to spread the word that we needed people to go to the contest page, find our picture and "like" it. We jumped out ahead immediately and crossed the 150 mark. We thought we had it in the bag. But then we scrolled through the pictures, and we saw another submission had - out of nowhere - jumped ahead of us. What?! 

This young lady you see to the left became our stiff competition for the next week. Back and forth we fought for first place. Two hundred. Three hundred. Four. Five. Six. Seven. It was intense. I began enlisting my sisters' help from their college friends. I even asked Charlie, Southeast's youth pastor if he would pitch it to the youth group. Ridiculousness. Meanwhile, the young lady, Anne Marie and Jody began corresponding via Facebook. They practically became best buds through this process. A nice young lady. But we had to win! Even my mother went on Facebook and "liked" the page (GO, MOMMIE!). I was so proud. 

In the end, Jody and I prevailed. The final score was: 

The Beens: 792

Anne Marie: 604 

Rarely have more beautiful words been seen!

 And the WINNER of the AB "Bean My Valentine" Contest is.....

First place: Mr. and Mrs. Been with an outstanding 792 "likes" on their beautiful picture. Congrats!

As a result, Jody and I began to do some shopping. After all, free boots are serious business. After much deliberation and discussion, Jody decided on the 'Tangerine Marfalous' Distressed American Bison boots (the orange ones). Pretty awesome, huh? And I decided that I needed a pair that was as equally awesome. And since I love green - lime green, in particular - I decided that I needed to go all the way. I decided on the 'Kiwi Marfalous' Geronimo Bison boots.

Oh yes, I did.

Since my boots have been in stock for quite a while, the company shipped mine quickly. Jody's style, however, is new and still in production, so we are still holding out for them. I hope to have some pictures up when they do come in. A follow-up picture of both our prizes, you understand. To all of you who have begged for a picture, I promise... It's coming. I'll let you know when his boots arrive. :)

Next on the list, Jody says, are some dresses and skirts for me to get all 'dolled up' in so I can show off my boots. Ha! Five years ago, I would have never imagined....

 Thank you to everyone who helped us win these boots! We love and appreciate you!!!

Anticipation

I love anticipation. The tingling in my stomach that comes with the knowledge of something GOOD coming. And there are three wonderful events that are, Lord willing, going to happen before 2012 arrives. They are the rope I'm hanging on to.

• We are going to visit Jody's family for Thanksgiving. Since we first got back from Korea in 2008, Jody and I have not been able to spend Thanksgiving together (with one another with one side of our families). But this Thanksgiving, we're making the trek down to the Panhandle to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with the Been side of the fam. I'm beyond thrilled. I am anticipating the good times and memories made. 

It won't ever be the same again, but still looking forward to time with the fam.

Maybe "help" Pam in the kitchen!

And see that beautiful Texas sky!

• Jody graduates in 8 weeks. Yes, 8 weeks. Every Monday I write on my calendar one number less. It builds anticipation and puts a song in my heart to carry through the week. Somehow, I can handle anything, knowing that he will be finished in just a few short months. God has been good and faithful, and I am looking forward to celebrating His faithfulness when this is over. The graduation ceremony is Monday, December 12th. It'll be a small ceremony in the seminary, for which I am very thankful. No need for a big May graduation ceremony at Southeast... I am content that we will be done!

Denver Seminary campus

• After graduation (yay!), we are heading to Virginia. YES! Jody, Eu-mi and I are flying back to Virginia to spend two whole stinkin' weeks with my family. I am on cloud 9. Jody has not seen my family since we first landed in America in 2008 from Korea. Three years. A lot has happened in three years. I am most excited for him to see Rebekah and Bryan's kids. He hasn't even met Jane, our youngest niece, and she's 2 years old (well, she will be next Tuesday)! I just can't wait to see 'em all! The best part of this is the timing. We will be flying out December 19th and returning to CO on January 3rd. That will give us 2 solid weeks over Christmas break to spend with the family. We will be guaranteed quality time with family, and maybe even some good friends. We'll see. So thankful for the chance that we'll have to spend Christmas with my family. I haven't had this privilege since the Christmas I graduated in 2004. That's 7 years!

See my parents!

Maybe hang out with some lovely ladies!

And see my  nieces and nephews!

Brad

Early, early this past Tuesday morning, January 25, 2011 my wonderful brother-in-law Brad Been went to be with the Lord. Many of you have been praying for our family through this process, and I wanted to thank each and every one of you who have been part of the support network in this time of crisis.

Brad discovered he had colon cancer almost 6 years ago. He beat it and was in remission for several years. The summer of 2009 he discovered, however, that it had returned but had spread to his whole abdominal cavity. He took a risk and decided to apply for a surgery in Pittsburgh. He was approved for it, and he and his wife Lindsey went to Pennsylvania for the surgery in August of 2009. We all thought that he'd beat it again, and though he had to adjust his diet a great deal and seemed a bit more fragile, we were thankful for every chance we had to be with him. Then, this past October 2010, we heard the news that the cancer had returned once again, and that Brad had decided to stop fighting it.

Christmastime was a wonderful time to see him and Lindsey, but we realized that there might not be much time left. Jody decided to see if Denver Seminary would work with him and allow him to do classes long-distance. He got 5 credits approved and after a week of getting things in order, he returned once again to Texas.

I am so thankful that in the few weeks Jody had with Brad, they were able to talk about hard stuff, deal with the finality of death and the importance of surrendering to the Lord despite all the hang-ups we all have about life, suffering and death. In the end, Brad surrendered to the Lord and was able to pass into eternity with his wonderful wife Lindsey and his brother Jody right next to him.

Please continue to pray for all of us as we grieve. I have returned to CO to get back to work, but Jody will remain in TX as long as he feels he needs to.

Love,
Jody and Ruth

Thanksgiving is approaching!

To all whom we love and miss, HELLO! I know that you probably feel like we have dropped off of the face of the earth, but Jody and I are still alive and kicking. Please forgive me once again for the delay in blog-writing. It is challenging for me to operate healthily and consistently without a regular schedule and being sensitive to Jody's parents' schedules, as well. But I am praying for grace, health and the love of Christ to flow from me no matter what situation I find myself in.

Right now I am sitting in Pam and Alan's office and listening to Brian and Jenn Johnson, an amazing husband/wife team of worship leaders, based out of California ( http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=90954097 ) . The house is quiet elsewhere, as the parents-in-law are out running errands, Jody is working, and I am taking the day off to rest. I needed a day to just be alone.... and I will not lie, it has been wonderful.

Two weeks ago we returned from visiting Jody's friends in Austin, TX. Since then we have been helping his family friends the Andrews (consisting of Jeff, Sharron, and their three daughters Rachel, Rebekah and Ruth) move from one home to another here in Pampa. Jo and I rouse ourselves around 8 and toot across town (5 minutes from one end to another!) and receive instructions from Sharron for what she wants accomplished that day. Mostly we have been boxing and just taking the boxes to the new house. A few days ago we spent a good amount of time trying to catch the koi fish in the Andrews' backyard pond. Since there is no pond in the Andrews' new yard (yet), they are giving their fish away. And yesterday we began taping/papering and painting the master bedroom closet in the new house. Who knows what we will have to do next week!?

In other news, two weeks ago Jo and I went to Amarillo and bought a bike for me! It is a reddish-orange colored Jamis mountain bike, and I am totally thrilled about it. God is so good! I have dreamed about having my own bike for a long time. I look forward to days on the trail and off-road in Colorado in the months and hopefully years to come.

As for Jody and Denver Seminary..... he registered for classes as of Tuesday! Praise the Lord!! I think, as of now, he is registered for 11 credits and is on the top of the waiting list for a 3-credit class. We heard he has a good chance of being added.

We will head up to the school on December 1st and tour the campus on the 2nd. Then we're planning to stay with a friend of mine Rebecca and her husband Deric, both whom are graduating from Denver Seminary this semester, while we look for an apartment. Please be in prayer for us, as we are making big decisions for the next phase in our lives.

I will close with one prayer request. I am seeing a consistent trend in my life where my body shows it is not happy when I am under any kind of stress. Often it has been laryngitis, when I lose my voice for months at a time. This year it has been that AND fever blisters. I got one in Korea this year (for the first time in YEARS!) and I have gotten two fever blisters in the past month. I am guessing that my body is exhausted from Korea, moving back to the States, living in parents' homes, and living in months'-long transition, all the while preparing for a life and seminary in Colorado. Please pray for me to find my rest in Christ and to cast all my cares on Him. He is more than enough to sustain me.

my new family!

here are some great photos that we had taken while jody and i were in texas with his family. it was truly wonderful to meet his parents pam and alan, his brother brad and sister-in-law lindsey. i felt at home with them, and i'm so thankful for such a chill new family. God has been good to me. i only wish jody and i had more time with them. hopefully we can be in the states with them again soon!

the original been family! jody with his parents and older brother brad.

lindsey and i.... i really enjoyed meeting lindsey. she seems like a great girl. this new business of extending one's family... and all of a sudden being part of another family is so funny to me! but i really enjoy it.

jody and his brother are very different in appearance as well as personality. i really like brad, though. he's got a dry sense of humor... but he seems pretty relaxed. i hope i get to know him and lindsey much better in the future.

my in-laws are so great! pam is a riot.. such a great sense of humor and so common sense. and alan is hardworking and seems so very gentle. they were so kind in welcoming me into their family and home while i was in texas for those twoweeks. it's hard to believe they are kinda like my parents now, too!

jody and me!!!

Daniel and Courtney's Wedding...

To retrace things a bit, my brother Daniel got married August 4, 2007. I wanted to honor him and his new wife Courtney. They were married at a beautiful old home in Bedford, VA and are now living in Midlo. It was a great wedding and SOOOO good to see everyone there.

the bride and groom - mr. and mrs. daniel clementson!

the wedding party:
anna, sarah, lindsey, christina, courtney, daniel, luke, john, chris, courtney's brother (don't know his name!)

mommie and daddy dancing... awww!

THEN.....

TEXAS!!!!!!!

the monday following daniel and courtney's wedding, mom took me to the airport and i flew to amarillo, texas... where jody was waiting for me. it was the most joyful reunion after being apart for two long months. jody had finished his contract in korea the end of july and had flown directly home.

jody is from pampa, a small town in the panhandle about 45 minutes outside of amarillo. it was truly a delight to see his world - to meet his family, to become part of that family, to see his town, his schools, his streets, the ranch where he worked, and just to see a whole new side of him. it was wonderful! i am sorry i don't have any pictures of his family. we took family pictures while i was there, but we don't have them yet... hopefully they'll come soon!

here are some pictures from a gathering with jody's friends at the chisum ranch, where jody used to work:

texas nights were the best. SO MANY STARS!!!

the chisum ranch

ashley and jay holzer... ashley is one of jody's childhood friends. exciting news! they are expecting a little one!!

with jody's friends

so... that's it for now... many of you have requested wedding pictures. i would like to say that jody and i would like to see them, too! but they haven't been finished yet... so i would ask for patience. we'll try to post as soon as we have them!