From the Depths of Pearce

I Can Do This

2011-03-21T23:37:00.010-05:00

I'm not a good writer or blogger, but I can do this. I can point you in the right direction (if anyone even reads this anymore).

Life is hard, life is busy. But I am amazed that we can make a difference through the power of communication and technology.


Here is the deal:
1. 1/3 of all drinking wells built in the
last 20 years are broken.

2. Over 4,000 children die every day
from lack of clean drinking water.

3. The well mechanics business in
North India trains and equips men
and women to repair their region’s
water wells.

4. If we raise $10,000, we will help
mechanics fix hundreds of wells for
years to come, turning water back on
for 300 people each month.


So some brilliant people came up with the idea of encouraging bloggers to encourage their readers to donate on Tuesday March 22nd, 2011. And it gets better. If we sacrifice a little of our time and little from our wallets, our impact will double. The

The Prem Rawat Foundation

 will double the $10,000.

There are over 100 bloggers participating. We are all aiming for 10 of our readers to give $20. Will you be one of my 10?


Go here and donate

New Blog Name

2011-01-13T10:49:00.002-05:00

It's a new year and we have been living in a new place for over 6 months now. I can't believe how fast time continues to go. But with the change of residency, we no longer are blogging from the "Depths of Pearce" (or home/residence hall back in PA). So we've decided it's time to change the blog name and we're looking for suggestions. And just to make it fun, if you make a suggestion and we choose to use it, we'll send you a $10 gift card of some sort. We know that it is just our friends and family who look at this blog, so we hope you guys can come up with some good titles. We may not choose any of them... and in that case we'll just spend the $10 on ourselves :). But it will be fun to see what you come up with. Good Luck!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T19:33:00.001-05:00

Joanna's Holiday Entertainment

2010-12-24T18:06:00.000-05:00

She's not ours, but we gladly play and hold little Aubie all she'll let us :).

The Picture it Produced...

2010-11-20T22:37:00.002-05:00

This is for Pastor Kent because he asked and our grandparents because they weren't sure what the last post meant. We'll have more pictures from this shoot on the TSP website soon! We miss you pastor Kent and Grandparents :)

2010-11-06T11:44:00.001-05:00

Taylor...at work!

Christmas in October

2010-10-31T17:11:00.006-05:00

As we are putting our apartment together in hopes of making it a home, one thing we wanted was some new pillows for our couch. Fancy Throw Pillow = $50
Cheap Throw Pillow = $20
Custom Made Throw Pillow = Priceless The talented Christine and Kelly Armstrong took our ideas and the fabric of our choice and made us these amazing pillows as our Christmas gift. They were kind enough to let us enjoy them now! We LOVE them. They came out so good! Thanks Mom and Sister!

So Tasty

2010-10-19T00:24:00.001-05:00

Tonight, we along with our good buddy Brady, made some Delicious beer battered fish tacos! We had never attempted anything like it, but it wasn't too complicated and the result was muy bueno! Got the recipe from Our Best Bites... I like what they're cookin!

Sent from my iPhone

2010-10-16T12:16:00.000-05:00

Let's just say advertising works. On my drive home from work there is a billboard for Dunkin Donuts. I have been seriously craving donuts for three months. This morning, Taylor finally gave in. We made iced coffee and chai at home. We picked up a 1/2 dozen dunkin donuts and then sat outside a Starbucks to enjoy our Saturday morning treat. We will be eating salad for lunch and dinner.

Fire and Ice

2010-10-06T00:06:00.003-05:00

Two days ago it was 100 degrees and today large chunks of ice fell from the sky! We are SOOO grateful for the temperature to be under 90! When Joanna got home from work we talked about how we both had smiles on our faces the whole day just because it was cool out. Pretty funny :)

Picture 1: driving home, I realize I'm about to hit some serious down pouring.

Video 1: The rain quickly turned to hail which was hitting so hard I pulled into an apartment complex for cover.

Video 2: More hail. I have at least 2 friends whose car windows were shattered.

Picture 2: the ground looked like snow in some places. But after it passed, our apartment windows stayed open the whole day! And we may even have had hot drinks at Starbucks tonight. Crazy!

Sent from my iPhone

My Younger Nephew

2010-09-29T18:39:00.002-05:00

My Nephew

2010-09-16T19:53:00.000-05:00

Just have to brag:)

Evening Walk

2010-09-08T20:45:00.001-05:00

A Little Bit More Like Home

2010-09-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly two months and we have finally gotten around to putting something on the wall :)! This sign used to be on Grandpa Sprague's citrus property. Grandma and he lived right on the edge of it and I spent quite a bit of time in those groves as a kid. It's fun to have a piece of that here.

$ugar Mama

2010-09-07T20:19:00.001-05:00

Joanna has now taken on a 2nd job at Culvers to help fund my chai addiction. Ok, that's not true... She is helping out tonight at a fundraiser for her school. She's pretty cute in that blue apron though ;)

One thing we do have...

2010-08-29T19:24:00.000-05:00

... is plenty of sunshine. Happy Sunday everyone!

Great Teaching Moment

2010-08-28T16:01:00.000-05:00

Got called a "dumba**" by one of my students...yep a kindergartner. He
was mad I would not let him eat the little plastic bear. He went
straight to the "thinking chair" He then proceeded to say, "Come on
Mrs. Sprague! Give me a break!". Oh, the joys:)

Sent from my iPhone

Cooler Days

2010-08-26T13:25:00.002-05:00

It's overcast today. It even rained a little bit! Between that and the air conditioning, I am pretending that it's not in the hundreds outside and that a hot drink is ok. We're looking forward to "Fall".

Happy Man

2010-08-01T15:39:00.001-05:00

Why can't all grocery stores around the world be like this? Seriously,
that is a lot of tortillas!

2010-07-30T22:44:00.002-05:00

Taylor helping me get my class ready:)

Baby Clara!

2010-07-28T19:15:00.001-05:00

Why stop?

2010-07-26T16:49:00.001-05:00

We have been constantly moving all summer, so we decided to just keep
going. We are in CO for a short Lorenzen family get together (and a
chance for me to meet Clara...one of my best friends little girl). Oh,
I start work on Monday, no big deal:)

She's a Sprague...

2010-07-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

Our Sky Tonight

2010-07-21T21:45:00.000-05:00

2010-07-20T12:39:00.001-05:00

Painting

2010-07-20T00:09:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering what we've been doing.

We have a home:)

2010-07-15T16:24:00.001-05:00

We finally signed a lease on a nice condo in central Phoenix. We have
a spare room and there are 3 pools....so please come visit!!!!

A Couple Reasons We Like It Here

2010-07-13T20:06:00.000-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

Goin House Huntin :)

2010-07-09T12:52:00.000-05:00

It may be a little overkill, but two of them were free. Pretty funny.
Sent from my iPhone

:)

2010-07-07T12:40:00.001-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

Adventure Land

2010-07-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

Some call it "God's Country"

2010-07-02T16:26:00.000-05:00

Iowa
Sent from my iPhone

Goin West

2010-07-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Goodbye Pearce Hall

2010-06-29T20:35:00.000-05:00

One last picture of our first home. On to new adventures.

Why the Game Face?

2010-06-14T10:46:00.003-05:00

Not too happy that Taylor posted the below picture. However, the face was my way of staying motivated for the 5 interviews I had within the first two days of our visit to Phoenix. I was getting tired of "educational chats." But the game face paid off. I was completely taken back by all the interviews. I was offered a couple positions and was able to choose. That is a miracle! I officially accepted a position on Thursday. I will be teaching Special Needs Kindergarten at Sahuaro Elementary.

Joanna's Game Face :)

2010-06-09T11:48:00.001-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

For the DeKornes

2010-06-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

We blogged:)

2 Good S's

2010-05-31T21:35:00.001-05:00

Starbucks and our Sarah
Sent from my iPhone

The Wedding

2010-05-31T11:53:00.002-05:00

Sarah Dompier and Patrick Brown are now the Brown Family! The wedding went well and we had the BEST team of people to make it all happen. Usually we're just photographers, but the team did it all for this one: the flowers, bouquets, boutonnières, food, decorations, pictures, setup, teardown, etc. We were wiped by the end of the day, but we had a great time doing it together. More pictures will come. Congrats Patrick and Domps! Sent from my iPhone

Yesterday

2010-05-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

We have been so encompassed with the experience of this epic trip that
we haven't had the time to fully disclose our adventures. But rest
assured, they have been well documented and we will share the amazing
places we've been and things we've done soon enough. Today we drive
home. So for now, enjoy this bike ride to the beach.... Without a
crash ;)
Sent from my iPhone

Happy Birthday Ryan Holt

2010-05-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

It's Ryan's 27th Birthday and we're celebrating by doing nothing in
the location below. Not bad. This is Ryan taking in the well wishes
from our friend whom we miss and wish he and his family were with
us... Jeff Kirksey.
Sent from my iPhone

The MV

2010-05-20T19:40:00.000-05:00

We took the ferry across the water and arrived safely to Martha's
Vineyard... Kinda surreal... Feeling pretty blessed.
Sent from my iPhone

2010-05-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

Fenway...

2010-05-19T23:43:00.000-05:00

.... Epic!
Sent from my iPhone

Tweets

2010-05-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

If you feel so inclined, you can follow our trip through tweets by
going to www.twitter.com/missyjoydavis. Can't say it'll all make
sense, but it'll probably be entertaining :).

Sent from my iPhone

12 Hours

2010-05-18T23:10:00.001-05:00

We just got into Cambridge, MA and are staying with one of Missy's
friends who just moved here himself. We've been in the car for 12
hours today... it POURED rain the whole way. We detoured through New
York City, ate dinner at Yale University, and are now ready to call it
a day. Pictures will have to come tomorrow. Night folks.

Sent from my iPhone

Epic Day 1

2010-05-17T22:36:00.001-05:00

We are on Kent Island for the first part of our Epic East Coast Road Trip. So we are sitting in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. It's beautiful! We're staying with a friend from Geneva so we have the local hook up. Here's a recap of today: Small breakfast - Fresh Fruit and Bagels Activity 1 - Walk outside, hop in a little row boat to go check the crab traps. There were four. We will eat them later :) Activity 2 - Kayaking around the Bay. So Cool! It took a little work getting back as tide tried to keep us out, but it was nice to be out on the water. Activity 3 - Lunch. Round up the crabs and get the stove going. It was pretty sweet to catch crabs right out back, cook em up, and learn how to properly devour them. They're pretty tasty! Activity 3 - Take a short cruise on a charter fishing boat out to the "most photographed lighthouse in Maryland"

We ended the day by going into Annapolis. We got some Starbucks downtown and watched the rain. Hit a local Pizza place and now we all feel like we're going to sleep really really well :). Tomorrow.... Boston! Sent from my iPhone

In Case You Didn't Know....

2010-05-09T13:42:00.003-05:00

We're Moving To... So once we get settled in, if you are in need of some sunshine, we will be taking reservations. GO SUNS!

2010-05-06T22:52:00.000-05:00

The boys are moving out. Usually this is our favorite time of year, we
always look forward to peace and quiet the summer offers. However, the
reality that we will not be around to welcome them back in the fall is
a little too much to handle at the moment. We have chosen to process
later.

Awesome Ladies!

2010-04-25T22:02:00.000-05:00

Saves Time but not Money :)

2010-04-14T18:20:00.001-05:00

We were pretty happy to get invites to the pre opening of this new Chipotle, and it is half the distance of the one we've been going to for the past four years (which means we'll likely be weekly visitors to the new one). We'll take it while we're here :) Sent from my iPhone

Room Service!

2010-04-10T09:25:00.001-05:00

For the first time in our 4 years here, breakfast was delivered.

Thank you Aunt Deborah, Wes, and Grant for the delicious arrangement!

Sent from my iPhone

Sisters

2010-04-07T21:10:00.001-05:00

These women are my sisters. We don't live close, we don't talk on the phone for hours. But there are no other women that I respect and admire more. I know they love me and I hope they know how much I love them. I am the little sister... Always looking up in admiration, hoping someday to be like them.

Multimedia message

2010-04-03T20:31:00.001-05:00

Easter eggs with Haidyn and Irelynd

Visiting Family

2010-04-02T13:27:00.001-05:00

While Taylor is in Phoenix, I am visiting family in San Diego....not
too bad!

A Sunny Thursday...

2010-04-01T09:58:00.001-05:00

Sometimes God even answers the small seemingly insignificant prayers.
We are so grateful for the sun this morning!
Sent from my iPhone

Off to PHX!

2010-03-31T12:16:00.000-05:00

I'm taking my staff to my home state for a little retreat. It's been
years in the works and I'm ecstatic it's going down with these guys!
Sent from my iPhone

Sophisticated

2010-03-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

My birthday present....I feel more sophisticated....any one want to
come over for some coffee?

Only In Student Development

2010-03-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

This job of mine gives me some experiences that I would never ever
have otherwise. Above is a perfect example of that. That is a reciept
from McDonalds for $209.88. You should have seen the box it all came in!
Sent from my iPhone

Arizona

2010-03-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

It's raining here in Phoenix, but it's still the warmest weather we've
been in in months. So we got the St. Clairs to go on a hike with us.
It was great but we're definitely looking forward to the sunshine!
Sent from my iPhone

Here for a Wedding...

2010-02-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

...it's breathtaking!
Sent from my iPhone

Valentines Breakfast

2010-02-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

The Nate We Love

2010-02-13T16:16:00.006-05:00

Check out www.TaylorSpraguePhotography.com to see a few photos of our brother-in-law Nate. As we previously posted, Nate is a very talented musician out in Los Angeles.

Though Nate has the artistic gaze and was voted hottest husband by Jessica Picard, our nieces and nephews know him as crazy Uncle Nate. The following pictures explain why :).

Snow

2010-02-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

This picture shows two things:
1.) We have gotten record setting snowfall.
2.) we have an amazing grounds dept. here that has worked hard to
chisel out the walkways as is evident by the two foot high walls along
the paths.
Sent from my iPhone

What do YOU do on a Snow Day?

2010-02-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

It's called Vingball, and yes that is a conference table with
yardsticks :)
Sent from my iPhone

Home Made!

2010-02-08T19:24:00.000-05:00

Joanna made her first home made cheesecake! It's delicious!
Sent from my iPhone

Holy Snow Storm!!!

2010-02-06T12:26:00.000-05:00

We are Loving This!
Sent from my iPhone

Snow Covered

2010-02-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

Friday

2010-02-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

Snow Falling & Picture Editing
Sent from my iPhone

Date Night

2010-02-03T12:19:00.000-05:00

Sent from my iPhone

Introducing....

2010-01-31T09:13:00.002-05:00

Nathan Picard. One of the most talented musicians we know. Nathan has been the leading force behind a couple bands over the last decade. Now, he is stepping out on his own. We are so excited! Now we believe that we will be able to see more clearly the honesty and depth behind his music. Check out his website. Disclaimer: Nathan may be our brother-in-law, but this review is unbiased.

New Kicks

2010-01-29T12:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a few years, but I finally pulled the trigger and got a new
pair of shoes. I'm pretty sure multiple family members have given
money for new shoes for Christmas or a birthday for multiple years in
a row now, but their generosity never beget footwear. The day has come
and many thanks to those who gave :). What do you think?
Sent from my iPhone

They're Engaged!

2010-01-24T20:44:00.001-05:00

(taken with an iPhone) Nate and Amy. Nate is one of the greatest guys I know. He asked Amy to marry him over Christmas break. She said yes and we went and took pictures yesterday to celebrate it. So excited for them!

Our Current View From the Kitchen

2010-01-11T16:05:00.000-05:00

And in case you can't tell... there is beautiful snow falling!

A More Mature Birthday

2010-01-07T16:53:00.001-05:00

Our good friend Missy had a birthday yesterday. It was just her 30th. So we had her over for some authentic Mexican food, gave her a gift, and then headed into the Burgh with Mr. Ryan Holt.

The Gift: A popcorn maker! She was quite elated as you can see.

The whole reason for going into Pittsburgh was to go to the Melting Pot. Joanna and I had been only once before and this was Missy and Ryan's first time. She declared it a more grown up birthday celebration and that cakes will no longer due.

Ryan, always one to take it up a notch, decided to try and "roast" the marshmallow over the burner. It worked. He said it better that way.

Mmmm... a much more mature birthday ;)

A New Gold Standard...

2010-01-05T22:07:00.001-05:00

Today was our last day for our old Gold Card. Personally, I will miss the 10% it saved us whenever we visited our "third place". Well... a new year, a new gold standard :).

My "Office" Window Today

2010-01-05T17:11:00.000-05:00

Colorado So Far...

2009-12-28T00:45:00.007-05:00

We were blessed with a white Christmas!

Seriously...that's not even a postcard. That's just a quick picture out the passenger side window! We love Colorado.

The Armstrong side of our family surprised Joanna with an impromptu Birthday Dinner, complaining they never get to celebrate with her when it's her actual birthday. You may notice the "cake" is actually Starbucks Ice Cream.

This time of year around the Lorenzen house is always full of season inspired scents. Not the least of which is Laurie's infamous candied pecans!

We took a trip up to Copper Mountain with our friend Missy. This was Joanna's second time ever attempting to snowboard. She had not tried in six years and it may be another six till the next time :). But what a view!

The calories burnt off snowboarding were quickly put back on when we grabbed a bite at The Rio. All three of us were moving quite stiffly at this point (not to mention Missy got pink eye!).

Upon our arrival to the Lorenzen residence, Laurie shared the good news that a cat had adopted the house as his own. Joanna loves cats...I could do without them, so it's fun to have a temporary one while we're here. (For those who have known Joanna for a while, doesn't that cat look eerily similar to Joseph? We are assuming it's one of his many long lost illegitimate offspring :D)

A romantic evening Lorenzen style.... a warm fire and your mac.

Joanna and I, along with my sisters and her parents returned to the church we got married in for a Candle Lit Christmas Eve service.

Jon and Kari drove 17 hours with Irelynd and Haidyn and the two dogs and got here late Christmas Eve. We miss our other nephews and niece and their parents, but it has been great to have the San Diego Lorenzens here.

Christmas Day was split between The Armstrong side and the Lorenzens and I took most of the photos with the actual camera...those will come later. This is the only photo I took of Christmas day with the iPhone. It's quite Christmas-ie and she is quite beautiful.

This is Colorado So Far...

Nueva York

2009-12-15T13:33:00.003-05:00

We headed up to New York State this past weekend to do our final wedding of the year. Sarah Taylor (now Lincoln) planned it on this date so she could specifically get pictures in the snow. So far it has been a pretty mild winter though and even when we woke up on Friday, there was no snow on the ground. But Sarah had been praying and the further north we got, the more snow was coming down. The ended up closing the interstates and we took side roads the whole way. It was beautiful! Big snowflakes coming down, everything covered in white! And the next day...the day of the wedding...it was completely sunny. There were a few adventures on our trip, but the wedding went great, and in the end we had a wonderful time together.

The Interstate

Jamestown, NY

At one point during the reception, we set our cameras down to get a little slow dance in. When we looked down, our cameras were getting a little friendly themselves :).

On Sunday, we took a little detour to go visit our friends the Kirkseys who live in Houghton, NY. It was freezing rain the whole way there which is just gross. But half of the way there we had our own personal escort. The cop kept us at about 35-40mph on the interstate and just stayed in front of us in the middle lane. We're kinda of a big deal you know.

Basketball Champ...Once Again!!!

2009-12-10T23:49:00.002-05:00

I just want to brag on my wife a little...she's amazing for many reasons, but tonight she and her intramural basketball team took on a bunch of young rascals and took home the gold. I love watching Joanna play. She still goes after it and plays some mean ball. So Sweet!

Go Ducks!

2009-12-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

Representing the Pac-10 out east today! The Ducks will face the Ohio
State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl.

Time in AZ

2009-12-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T13:12:00.000-05:00

This is how we start off Thanksgiving in Yuma :). Happy Thanksgiving
Everyone.

Friends that can craft!

2009-11-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

I love having creative friends! All I have to do is buy cute fabric,
send it to Portland, and in a few weeks I get a designer apron and
kitchen towels! Thanks Callie! Now, what should I cook?

First Gift

2009-11-12T11:16:00.006-05:00

I'm pretty sure no one reads my blog that doesn't read my sisters.....but just in case, I want to make sure that the word gets out. Tomorrow is a big day. Before the holiday season starts, lets put our hearts and money in the right place.
"Every day, 4500 mothers bury their children due to contaminated water. They are forced to sustain their families with a diabolical liquid that contains both life and death. This lack of clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations. And it just doesn't have to be! So as we gear up to scurry through department stores and browse endless catalogs in search of new jeans, Tonka Trucks, gadgets and dolls....we are pausing. We are pausing. And today, November 13th, we are buying water. Clean, life-saving water. $10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years. It will literally change and possibly save someone's life. A mother. A child. A brother. A grandfather. We are rallying together for a cause. Clean water. One day. $10. Asking everyone to let this be their first gift. Let water, let life be their first gift of the season."
Tomorrow, Nov. 13th, go here

It's about water...

2009-11-07T17:52:00.003-05:00

bottom line....it's about water! But I can't help but be so proud of my sister. She does not to do it alone! But I know that she carries a heavy weight, it keeps her up at night. I look at these pictures with amazement. She was willing to enter someones nightmare and in return her story is one worth telling.

A Retreat

2009-11-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

I've taken my staff and we've gone to the country. It's more than I
expected. A quiet morning, a little football this afternoon, and a
beautiful sunset. I'll be home tomorrow;)

Missy Davis

2009-11-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

Our friend Missy invited us to her place last night for tacos. Missy
just moved here from Denver. We have really enjoyed our time with her.
I brought over homemade apple pie from scratch for dessert. Be
impressed:)

An empty roll of foil....

2009-10-31T18:10:00.000-05:00

But so worth it!

Hmmm

2009-10-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

"In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noise,
hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in "muchness" and
"manyness," he will rest satisfied."

Richard Foster

Sent from my iPhone

Small Town America

2009-10-18T12:08:00.002-05:00

We just happen to be in the home town of our good friend Sara Jensen.
We caravaned ou here with her, Toby, and Zoe. She showed us around and
took us to her favorite childhood ice cream place. So fun!

Wedding in Indiana

2009-10-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

It's cold, so we are starting it out right!

Blessed

2009-10-15T09:10:00.001-05:00

Sittin in an empty Starbucks, a hot chai, my wife with me, listening to the Avett Brothers and watching the rain drizzle on the Autumn colors. A great way to start the day! A day that just happens to be exactly 4 years from the day we got engaged :)

Sent from my iPhone

What's more Autumn...

2009-10-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

... than a bright red pear?

Our Baby :)

2009-10-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

On our way to the Tyrone Wells concert (which was amazing) we stopped
to get a quick bite and ended up with a small child. Man we really
enjoy Chipotle!

Fall...

2009-10-04T11:56:00.000-05:00

Is making its grand entrance!

Mr. and Mrs. Potter

2009-09-28T13:47:00.002-05:00

See more at: TAYLORSPRAGUEphotography.com

11 hour car ride both ways...

2009-09-25T13:23:00.000-05:00

Just to wrestle with your uncle! Worth it!

Lunch was torture...

2009-09-22T11:57:00.001-05:00

....but he found the play place, so we are good:)

This is what Quincy woke up looking for...

2009-09-22T10:35:00.000-05:00