We are here! And Oscar lives!

After a long trip (about 30 hours on the road with Stella, Lane, Charles, and the amazing Oscar-the-fish) we are finally here in Colorado. We were blessed with five strong guys helping us move all our boxes and furniture into our cute apartment on Saturday morning (thanks Chris D., Chris P., Micah, Matt, and Dave (my dad!)). We are a little less surrounded by boxes today but still have some unpacking to do. We were also blessed to have the company of my dad until this morning, who helped us settle in.
Top story of the week: Stella (our cat) got ahold of Oscar, our betta fish on Sunday morning. Casey found him on the bathroom counter bleeding :( and immediately scooped him back into his home. With advice from a wise worker at Petsmart, we changed his water and put four drops of medicine in the bowl that was supposed to heal fish wounds. I texted people asking for prayer because he was bleeding so much and we waited to see if he would make it. Well, today is Tuesday and he is still hanging on! He is a little weak, but who wouldn't be after bleeding so much! He gets the Toughest Fish in the World Award! Thanks for your prayers :).
More to come on our new home with pictures as we get settled in. We miss everyone in Oregon so much. We send many hugs and kisses to those we had to say goodbye to.

LOST fans check this out!

Any LOST fan who ever watched Full House will think this is hilarious...

Laughing Yoga?

Casey and I just ran across this video on YouTube the other day after hearing about a unique way to relieve stress... Laughing Yoga! I for one am not sure how this qualifies as "yoga" but it really is entertaining to watch this one (very happy) laughing yoga guru. There are classes you can take during which a yoga instructor will lead you in giggling, laughing, etc. What do you guys think?? "I'm happy, I'm relaxed, I'm happy, I'm relaxed..." He's such a cute little yoga man!!!

Babies everywhere!!!

This is a time of lots of hellos and goodbyes for us. A few weeks ago we took a road trip to Northern and Central California to visit family and friends., which included my sister-in-law's (and self-proclaimed "incubator" for my little niece and goddaughter Kaylee!) baby shower. Pictured below is Bianca with a new onesie that says, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my mom!" I can't wait to see little Kaylee in it. Below that is me, my mom, and my aunt at the shower.
We also took a trip down to San Luis Obispo to visit one of my best friends Andrea, her husband Bret, and her 1 1/2 year old daughter Natalie (aka Nataloo). It had been almost a year since I'd seen them, but it's one of those friendships that seems like you pick up right where you left off... It was such a treat to be with my dear friend and see her (bigger) baby girl, and to see them get to know Casey.

"... Methinks a Rose is Best..."

(Quoted above: "Of all flowres methinks a rose is best" -William Shakespeare)
Since we have only about a month left in lovely Portland, it is our quest to visit all the favorite, distinctly Portland sights and places. Last night we went to the famous Portland Rose Gardens in northwest Portland. I (Gina) had never been there and was blown away by the beauty and variety of the roses there-- they have literally thousands of different types growing in what they call their "rose test gardens." It was so relaxing to stroll through the rows of beautiful blooming flowers on such a pleasantly warm night. After seeing all there was to see, we drove downtown Portland to eat at our favorite Thai restaurant, Typhoon. As we were enjoying our drinks at an outdoor table, Casey opened up his heart and shared his great sorrow over having to leave his favorite beer behind when we leave Portland: The Black Butte Porter (see proof below).

Stella and the Birds

Did you all know Casey and I actually have four children? Here's one of them: Everyone, meet Stella Eslinger. A little over a year ago our friend's cat had kittens and was looking for good homes for them. Casey and I were planning our wedding and were hoping to pick a kitten out to bring home with us after our honeymoon. We watched her and her siblings play for over half an hour and finally decided on Stella, because she seemed playful but not too wild, and fell asleep in Casey's hand!!! So cute. This is a picture of her at a couple months old when we first brought her home- she is a lot bigger now but I couldn't resist posting her kitten cuteness! Here's a little more about her....

Likes:
Splashing all of her water out of her water dish, watching the toilet flush (water fixation???), treats, watching the birds, sleeping, chasing her fluffy green ball on the end of its string, buttery toast.
Dislikes:
Being moved when she is comfortable, not being given a bite of buttery toast, loud scary noises, getting her nails trimmed (those of you who have seen this can vouch for it), being trapped anywhere.

These two handsome parakeets are Charles DuMar (left) and Lane Meyer (right). Before we were married, Casey and I had joint custody of them but they lived with me (Gina). At first we only had Lane in the one cage, but we thought he looked lonely so the next day went back and got him a friend. They typically get along, but sometimes one of the two will keep the other from the food, so we were forced to separate them and now they live in separate cages. They have their daily "visiting time" where we let them out and fly a little.

Likes:

Broccoli, seed, spray millet, seeing each other out of the cages after a "long" (more than day) separation, flying, chirping, refusing to learn any type of word or phrase.

Dislikes:

Stella, loud scary noises, being in the cage for too long, anyone at all "hogging" their food while visiting their cage.

The sixth member of our family is Oscar, a grey-black beta fish. Unfortunately we do not have any pictures of him, but hopefully in the future we will and I will properly introduce him to you all.

I'm Official!

I (Gina) was just stopping by my company's website and I noticed the director just posted all the new company members' bios and headshots... Check it out (Ok, I'm at the bottom, but I'm official!!!):
http://www.dtdt.org/?page=200607Roster

On the road again...

I (Gina) have been doing a lot of dance related stuff in the last six months or so. I've trained in ballet since I was seven, and for many years dreamed of being paid to dance. In December 2007 I decided to give a professional career one last shot (ballerinas have very short shelf lives-- most don't dance full time past 35).
So I got myself into class a little (ok, a lot) more often, did some research on ballet/contemporary troupes, and proceeded to audition for about ten companies that fit this description:

• Not huge (between ten and twenty dancers)
• Exists in a state that Casey would be willing to move to/live in
  
• Repertory contains both ballet and contemporary styles
  
• Might possibly hire me!

In a nutshell, the whole experience for me was a very mixed bag. Lots of nerves, lots of excitement, lots of hope, lots of disappointment, lots of encouragement, and lots of learning about the current dance world. Then about a month and half ago, right when I began to have peace with the possibility of nothing happening, a light at the end of the tunnel appeared. I got an email from the artistic director of David Taylor Dance Theatre in Colorado offering me an apprenticeship. After much discussion and prayer, Casey and I realized God was dropping this opportunity in my lap-- and I accepted. This means we are moving from Oregon to Colorado in August and we will embark on one very exciting (and a little intimidating!) adventure. We will miss so many people here in Oregon but are convinced this is God's invitation to us for an adventure to grow with each other and in our relationship with Him. And from my (Gina's) point of view, Casey gets the "Husband of the Millenium Award" for being willing to move so I can fulfill a childhood dream. :)
Below are some favorite pictures I used for my resume portfolio.

Our new blog!

Hi everyone! Casey and Gina here. We decided it would be nice to be able to share photos and news with people who may not be on MySpace or Facebook, so here we are. More to come soon...