Team Molina

Baby Molina

2010-09-02T15:36:00.003+02:00

It is official...we are excpecting one little Molina! We are so excited and blessed to have this little miracle on the way. This last year has been crazy but the IVF process was really the icing on top of the crazy cake.

Yet, we feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go through the IVF process but we know that our little sweetpea is nothing short of a miraculous gift from the Lord. Our little sweetpea is six weeks and five days today and this is a shot from the sonogram that was done three days ago. It was a great surprise to see our little blessing and an even greater treat to see the heartbeat! This week we have undergone a ton of test and everything has come back excellent.

We are ecstatic about this blessing of upcoming parenthood. I am having all the general symptoms of early pregnancy. This week I have welcomed the blessing of morning sickness all throughout the day. It may sound crazy but every feeling of uncomfortableness I am praising the Lord for as the Lord has truly given us the desire of our heart. I also started walking a little bit for some exercise which has been wonderful. Exercise is my release and I am praying that the Lord will allow me to be cleared for more than walking by the end of the first trimester. Until then I will be driving my dog crazy as she wants to walk faster than me at turtle speed.

God is so good! Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Ordinary People- Extraordinary God

2010-08-03T03:30:00.002+02:00

Praise the Lord for His provision in so many ways over the last thirteen days. The preparation for IVF went smoothly and the Lord truly blessed the process. Charokee and I grew closer through the injections and frequent doctors visits. This time has been a tremendous blessing to our marriage and has grown us both closer to the Lord as we depend on His grace.

Today was both of our retrievals. The surgeries went well and we presently have eleven eggs/sperm that have been united. Tomorrow we will find out how many of the eggs have fertilized to become embroyos. It is so awesome to know that the Lord is in control and He knows how many will fertilize and develop over the next five days to the implantation date.

It is a miracle that we have made it this far in the IVF process with the doctors original prognosis. We have faith that the Lord will bless the desires of our heart. It truly is a testimony that we are ordinary people that serve an extraordinary God.

We are still alive!

2010-07-21T20:02:00.002+02:00

So here we are approximately a year after our last blog update. It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by so fast. We have had a lots of crazy things transpire over the year in which we were blogless but I will pick up with where we are at this present time.

Charokee and I just celebrated our six year anniversary. We had always said, we wanted to wait until we had been married five years before we wanted to start a family. Well, after five years rolled by and we started praying for a baby. We were surprised that after months of trying we had not been able to conceive. Charokee and I went to see the doctor and proceeded with visits to the endocrinologist in our area. Through months of prayer and testing it was revealed what our fertility issue was that was hendering our ability to conceive naturally. God's hand of provision and strength had been upon us throughout this process and He had given us every measure of faith and encouragement that He knew we needed.

The Lord opened the door for us to enter into an Invetrofertilization cycle in August of this year. We have been astounded by God's faithfulness to provide for our every need throughout this process and we believe that He is going to bless our faith as a mustard seed as we embark on this IVF journey over the next month. It is our purpose in witting this blog to be transparent with those that we love about the circumstances in our life at the present as well as to glorify God as He has been so good to us throughout this last years experience. We pray that this experience for us will be a light to those around us going through similar situations or just as a testimony of provision. We covet your prayers as well that the Lord will continue to be merciful to us and a Psalms 37:4 say, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart".

We will be updating daily throughout this journey that starts tomorrow July 22, 2010.

Blessings!

New Places...

2009-07-17T00:17:00.006+02:00

So there have been lots of new places and new faces for us here in Fayetteville, North Carolina. We are really excited to be here and working to get all settled in as fast as we can, as we do not have much initial time here together. The Lord has blessed us so richly in the last few weeks it is hard to know where to start.

We have had an amazing time moving into our new house. For the last five years we have talked and dreamed of owning our first home and now it is has become a reality. It has been a blast getting into our new house that is very quickly becoming a cozy little home. There have been many projects and lots of boxes being unpacked at the Molina's over the last few weeks. But we have survived, grown wiser, stronger and closer together in the midst of home ownership bliss. With all of that being said, we are here, settled, and ready for friends and family to visit.

Another new place for us is our new home church. We are so excited that the Lord has led us to a great church here in Fayetteville. While overseas we often prayed that the Lord would prepare a church home for us stateside and of course he has been more than faithful. Village Baptist is a great church with a passion for Christ and meeting the spiritual growth needs of all generations and populations. Here we have found a great small group study that is full of other military couples. This is truly a blessing for us as there are other couples(especially wives) that are going through similiar life circumstances to encourage one another.

Well, it has been a summer of transition. We thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement along the way. The road of change has not ended as we find ourselves seperated again and facing new experiences and challenges in our new individual places while still unified together at heart. We will keep you posted as usual but we leave you with some pictures.

Team Molina Runs for the Kids...

2009-06-04T03:57:00.003+02:00

Things are going great here on the coast! This week has been pretty relaxing for the two of us. We wanted to let you know of a great opportunity to give to a really awesome childrens hospital here in Virginia.

Most of you guys think we are crazy for running as much as we do and well you maybe right. None the less, on June 13th we will be running the 2009 CHKD Run Walk for the Kids. The Children of the Kings Daughters provides care for thousands of children in Virginia everyday and plays a role in making their lives better through advance medical treatments. As many of you know children's medical needs are an especially important issue for us because of Melany's little sister Roxanne who passed away in 2000. Our team goal is $150 dollars, so please consider helping us reach this goal for the kids. The link below will take you to our fundraising site. Thanks!

http://www.active.com/donate/09runwalkforthekids/cmolina5

On the move again...

2009-06-01T22:34:00.002+02:00

Hey there...we've missed you guys!

We are on the move again! This time down the east coast we go. Just to give you a little update on the past few weeks with us. As of Tuesday of last week we completed our residency in Petersburg, VA. After a long Memorial day weekend together enjoying our loft and Richmond the movers came to pack us out and off we drove to good ole Hampton Roads. Upon arrival we checked into our lovely hotel room in which we will reside for the next month. We are in the area because Charokee is finishing up the remainder of his course at Ft Eustis before we head to Ft Bragg. This is a great opportunity for the two of us to relax a little bit and enjoy some quality time together. The time for this couldn't be more opportunistic because this is the month of our five year anniversary...YEAH! It has been fun for us to be back in an area that we lived in four years ago. We have enjoyed checking out old favorites and exploring new places. It is great to be back on the coast and we have already been to the beach!

On the homefront...lots has transpired since our last post. I will give it to you in a nutshell, we found a house, terminated a contract, found another house and will be closing in two weeks. The home buying process has been bittersweet to say the least. We are certain that this comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever purchased a home. The process has been slightly compounded by the fact that we are not in the area we are purchasing the home. Most importantly we feel so blessed to have found the perfect first home for our family.

Well, that is where we are and what we are up too! We will stay in touch and let you know what is new in our world.

God is so good...

2009-04-19T23:46:00.010+02:00

Hey There!

God is always so good and we just wanted to start by highlighting this reality in our life! Though we know we serve an awesome God. For some reason we never cease to be amazed by God's faithfulness to lead and guide our paths. This is the praise on our hearts as we share what all has been going on with us.

Mel's parents came for a visit over Easter weekend. It was great to have my mom and dad in our new place and be able to show them around the area in which we live. Every Easter we get together and have some kind of adventure. So this year we headed to Washington D.C.! As a family we covered just about every attraction the city has to offer. Charokee and I really enjoyed seeing all of these again with mom and dad. An extra special highlight was that we had the opportunity to attend a sunrise service at Arlington National cemetery. This was a sureal and moving experience to celebrate the life and resurection of our Saviour in a place of honor for the men and women of our country that have served so selflessly. We are so glad that mom and dad were able to visit and super excited that they will be meeting us in North Carolina next weekend for Mother's Day!

That brings us to the big news about where we are heading to next. Our new home of residence will be in Fayetteville, North Carolina. We are really excited about this rapidly upcoming move. Ft. Bragg was our second choice but the reality is that we wanted to be where the Lord wanted to send us. This assignment is a huge answer to prayer in the direction the Lord wants to take our family and Char's career. This is his dream job and even better he is headed to a special school in July to prepare him for this assignment. So with that being said we are heading to Fayetteville this weekend to look for a house. Yes, finally we are going to have the opportunity to purchase our first home. We are so pumped and terrified all at the same time. Since we will be moving out of our loft at the end of May we are hoping to find a place rather quickly. We know it is all in the Lord's hands, as He has opened and closed many doors to direct us to this point on our journey. We will keep you posted on the outcome of the house hunting trip. We intend to purchase a home large enough for many guest to come and visit. So we look forward to seeing you soon in North Carolina!

Time flying...

2009-03-27T19:38:00.003+01:00

Well, it seems as though March has completely flown by! We are not certain where the month has gone but it has been jam packed for the two of us. I have been busy at work establishing my new clientele base. I absolutely love my new gym. I truly believe that we have the best staff and members of any gym in Virginia. Work is beginning to settle down a bit though as I get my clients worked into a good schedule for both them and myself. I am so thankful that I can make my work schedule to correlate with Char's school schedule. This is such a blessing for the both of us to keep our family time priority.

Since it is the end of March we are beginning to experience better weather in our area. This week one day was pretty enough to run outside. I had a great seven mile run out at the Petersburg battlefield. It was a beautiful, crisp morning. I was so excited to run outside and be able to feel my noise the entire time for the first time in a few months. Yeah! Tomorrow we are running a local 10k so we are praying for good weather.

Last weekend some friends invited us out to place in Richmond that we had not yet discovered. Carrytown proved to be one of our favorite local spots thus far. For a few hours we felt like we were back in Texas, walking down 6th street in Austin. It was a great afternoon of shopping, people watching, and sushi. Actually, we are headed back to that area for sushi tonight...yum!

Where your story begins...

2009-02-23T03:24:00.003+01:00

Home is where we live, love and fellowship with those we cherish. We truly believe that home is where the heart is in the Molina family. With a lifestyle that lends to frequent changes in housing our home often relocates to new surroundings. Many people have wondered what our new home looks like. So, we wanted to share some pictures with you to allow you to know where we come and go from on a daily basis. Also as a warm invitation to the quaint Molina abode on the east coast!

We can hardly believe that the weekend is over...so where did the time go?

Well, Friday started off pretty exciting for Mel. The day began with a successful trip to the salon. Others who move frequently will understand that finding a good stylist in a new city can often be as stressful as finding a new doctor. Well, my worries are over and I have found my girl! Then, we went to pick up my new car! Car shopping for my car and the primary "family" vehicle has been quite extensive (like a year long)! We had prayed that the Lord would lead us to an economical, safe, spacious, and most importantly cute vehicle for our urban purposes. It had come to the point that we had no idea what vehicle we wanted anymore because we had ruled them all out. Then the Lord took us to our new little S40. She is perfect for all our transportation purposes especially those of future little Molina's. It seems the Mini and the Volvo shall make a perfect little couple in the driveway.
Saturday was quite relaxing. Char and I stopped by the farmers market that morning before heading to the battlefield for some trail running. We love our local farmers market. It is so great to be able to support local farmers that produce all natural foods and goods. Running the battlefield was a great experience. There are so many trails to follow or get lost on. Good thing I had my trusty navigator Char! The rest of the afternoon we spent relaxing at the casa. That evening we headed down the street to Wabi-Sabi for some sushi and some live music. Both proved to be fantastic. It is so nice to have good sushi just a block from the house (Oh, the conveniences of America).
Today, we headed to the chapel for the early service to see our old chaplain from Ft.Eustis. It was great catching up with him and his family. Then we rushed over to our church to make Sunday School. We are so thankful to have found a good group to grow and fellowship with. The rest of the day we spent at home. Charokee had a lot of school work to accomplish and I was busy continuing to get things settled. The weather outside was cold and rainy which was perfect for a cozy evening at home to end the weekend.
May you have a blessed week ahead!

Time flies...

2009-02-21T05:51:00.005+01:00

The Molina's life in Virginia is officially in full swing. We are getting more familiar with our new community and really beginning to feel involved with local groups. Time seems to be flying by so fast but not without some interesting adventures on our part. Last week we had our household goods delivered. We were extremely excited to get all of our belongs but not so thrilled at the daunting task of unpacking. Things are all settled now and our home is truely feeling like Casa de Molina. We were also pleased to pick up our car from the port last week. Thankfully it made it across the ocean once again in one piece. Then we headed down to the outer banks of North Carolina to spend Valentine's weekend at a little bed and breakfast in Nags Head. It was a great romantic gettaway to an amazing area. We thoroughly enjoyed the slow pace of the little towns, the beautiful beaches, great shopping and all of the lighthouses! While in North Carolina we met up with Charokee's sister and her husband before returning home. Here are some pics to check out...

Job Blessings...

2009-02-05T03:50:00.002+01:00

When moving there are always job uncertainties. Generally the reason we relocate is due to Charokee's career demands. Though his job is secure there are always changing demands and expectations of new assignments. Initially when we arrived in Virginia we did not know what Charokee's schedule would be before school started in February. A great blessing to us was to find out that Charokee would have time off until schools starts for us to get integrated into the community. This has been a wonderful time for us to connect and settle into our new home.

Another job praise is that the Lord has provided me with the one and only job I wanted in our new area. I am excited that I will be working as a fitness counselor and personal trainer at American Family Fitness. It was difficult for me to leave my last job but knowing that Lord giveth and He taketh away my trust was in Him to provide me with another job here if it be His will. It never ceases to amaze me how on a small and large scale if we put faith in the Lord He is faithful to give us the desires of our heart. So with that being said, we stand in awe...

Surprise

2009-01-27T05:00:00.002+01:00

I know most of you thought it would be another two months until we posted again. Well, surprise here we are posting two days in a row. We just uploaded some pictures and thought we would share some that went with our last post. In the next few days we will take pictures of our loft to entice you to come and visit...hehehe...just kidding. Blessings to you!

Hello from the Molina's in Virginia!

2009-01-26T02:37:00.005+01:00

Hello, for the first time in 2009! We are back from our little sebatical of reclusiveness of the comings and going of the Molina's. The last three months have been a whirlwind for us. We are now getting settled in to our new little aboad in Petersburg, Va. The next six months promise to be a little slower paced for our family as we reintegrate back into the lifestyle of the land of the free. With that being said, we feel that we would be remiss if we did not give a short recap of our travels over the last three months and the testimony of protection from our Father throughout our experiences.

At the end of October we completed the Venice marathon. It was an amazing bonding experience for us as a couple. That ended the month of October and led in to a crazy November. We spent the begining of the month in Germany for Charokee's eye surgery. His PRK surgery was a sucess and his recovery has been amazing. During his recovery time we enjoyed northern Germany as we knew it would be our last visit for a while. An added blessing was that we were able to visit Paul and Heidi Smith to catch up and have an early Thanksgiving celebration. Upon return to Italy we were back on the road heading to Egypt. We celebrated Thanksgiving Egyptian style while staying in Cairo. We had an amazing trip and there is so much to tell about the trip that we would not give it justice in this short update. Therefore we hope you enjoy the story through the pictures. Returning to Italy we began celebrating Melany's birthday week and ended with a trip to Slovenia. That week also brought the end of
our job positions in Italy. The next week we packed out of our house, celebrated Charokee's birthday, shipped our car, said goodbye to frieds and boarded an airplane headed to Texas for the holidays.

We spent Christmas with Melany's family in East Texas. It was great to be all together with family for Christmas for the first time in four years. After spending some time with Mel's parents in Fredricksbug we connected with Chy and Matt heading to Corpus Christi for New Years. We spent a few days catching up and celebrating with family to ring in the new year. To start off 2009 we traveled to Houston to visit with the Zeller's, Maegar's, and Portier's. We had a blast fellowshiping with these old friends. From Houston we took a little gettaway to Las Vegas for just the two of us. It was our first time in Vegas and it was fabulous! After some crazy fun in Vegas we traveled back to Ft. Worth to hang out with the Segrist family. It was a delight spending time with Mer and Sandy as well as our incredible nephew Sam. Time on leave went by so fast and before we knew it we were back at mom and dad Poldrack's getting ready to leave for Virginia. We felt so blessed to be able to spend so much time visiting with family and friends. It was refueling to our spirits to see and visit with everyone as we have often missed fellowship over the last few years.

Our new adventure began on January 11th as this was our first day back in Virginia. Moving back to the U.S. has been a challenging process but the Lord is in control and He never gives us more than we can handle. The first priority was finding a new home. Praise the Lord we found a great loft in the Old Historic area of Petersburg, Va. Another challenge was needing a vehicle while our car is being shipped from Europe. The Lord provided us with a great second car and Charokee's little dream in the form of a Mini Cooper S. This little car has been a tremendous blessing and we love driving little coop. We also praise the Lord that He led us to our new home church through our furniture salesman. It is such a blessing to be able to choose what house of worship we want to attend. We really feel that this is where the Lord wants us to minister for the next six months. There have been some scary events since we arrived in Virginia. One of which was being in a restaurant during an armed robbery. This was quite unsettling but another opportunity for us to see the Lords protection. The Lords hand has been upon us in so many ways and these are just a few that we have shared. We will keep you posted on future events or random ramblings from the Molina's.

Molina's M.I.A.?

2008-10-24T12:42:00.005+02:00

No, the Molina's are not missing in action...we have just been crazy busy for the past month or so...but truthfully that is our reality. Therefore we will try to give everyone the major highlights of our last few weeks. In September we decided to sign-up for the Venice marathon, which is October 26th. This meant we changed our training routine and began a condensed marathon training plan. Mel is loving the training aspect because that is what she does as a personal trainer. Anyways, the last seven weeks have been full of long runs through the beautiful Italian countryside which have been accompanied by many aches, pains and one inury. Ulitimately training has been a great bonding experience for us as we are running partners for life. As well as spiritually strengthening becuase we rely on the Lord as our source of strength.

During our training time we have been busy at work. Charokee played an intrigal role in the redeployment of his forward battalion. It is great to have those Soldiers home safe and out of harms way! Meanwhile, Mel was establishing the new Wellness Center in Vicenza and finishing up her graduate courses. She is still working on her thesis but the plan is for review and completion in November...YEAH!

Of course we can not go this long and not have traveled anywhere. At the beginning of October we went to Budapest for four days. It was an incredible city! We had the most amazing time sightseeing, shopping and relazing. Budapest is similiar to Paris and Prague in the fact that all are organized around the river. We found Budapest to be a friendly and laid back city that was extremely accomodating. The pictures will tell a more detailed story of our adventures but we must share about one specific experience. Budapest is known for their natural thermal spas. They have a ton of European style Bath House. We were totally interested in adding this experience to our repetoir and relishing in the treatments as we had just finished a 22 mile run that weekend. So, we went to the famous Gillert Spa. We felt as if we had stepped onto the set of a freaky horror flick. The facilities were beautiful but the atmosphere was a bit on the creepy side. The employees were all dressed in white, often with gloves and mask, the majority of the patrons were naked, the lighting was dim these are just a few of our observances. Once we got over the initial shock of our new environment we had an amazing time. We definitely would recommend that if anyone is ever in Budapest, you must go to a Spa. It would not be a complete Hungarian experience without the visit.

Our travels did not end there as the next week we traveled to Pisa and Florence. The initial reason for the Pisa trip was to participate in the 26th Annual Run to the Tower. Mel hurt her knee a few days before the run but thankfully we were able to run together. It was awesome to run through the coutryside and then into Pisa to finish at the Leaning Tower. The rest of the weekend we relaxed and soaked up the cultural scene of each city. Florence was perfectly romantic for us as we had been several times but never alone. This time we were able to stroll about the streets and river together without a care of achieving any touristic mandates. While we were in Florence we ate at this amazing Osteria that is famous for their Florentinian steaks. Being from Texas we know what a good steak is and well we indulged in the best steak of our lives. Now Florence will always bring us thoughts of love, leather, art and beef!

Macy has been a great little trooper through all of our craziness. She is the sweetest little thing for our family. We love playing with her and taking her for walks each night. As the seasons have been changed there are leaves on the ground under every tree. Macy thinks these are play areas created specifically for her to romp around in...how cute is a little snout and ears peaking through leavers. She is our sweet little bella.

So, presently we are ready to run the marathon on Sunday and praying Mel's knee holds out to the finish! We are also preparing to move as Charokee received orders last week that we will be heading to Virginia in December. Before we leave Europe there will be a lot of things transpiring. One extremely important event is Charokee's PRK eye surgery. This surgery will allow Charokee to pursue his personal and military goals so we are extremely excited about this opportunity.

We know that this was a big nutshell of random components but thanks for staying up to date on our adventures in life. God is so good and we give Him all the praise and glory...and we know that He is in control of our future. We will keep you posted as we step by faith.

A few weeks in review...

2008-09-07T13:54:00.003+02:00

Ciao, it has been a while since we posted anything so here we are giving a little update on what we have been up to. The last few weeks we have traveled between Italy, Austria and Germany. Here are some pictures to tell the story of our adventures.

An Opera under the stars...

2008-08-18T16:37:00.007+02:00

Lately we have been up to some crazy adventurous activities. Many of these have been outdoors in the beauty of Italy. As the wife of a thrill-seeker I often find myself being the hesitant, yet supportive companion on wild jonts of testing fate. There is no doubt in my mind he was created with a truely "wild heart". It is amazing how I can see the Lord work in his life through experiences with adventure and nature. With this being said, I must now share how self-sacrificing my husband can be in the outdoors through an amazing evening he treated me to this weekend. The story begins with the intial surprise early in the week of opera tickets to see Carmen in a city close by called Verona. This is an event I have longed to go to since we arrived in Italy three years ago. So needless to say I felt like a kid going to Disneyworld for the first time. The two most amazing aspects to this opera are that it is in Italy and it is located in the Arena in Verona.
Our evening began when we traveled to Verona after a romantic dinner. We each were in amazement as we saw the first glimpses of one of the five Roman coliseums aglow before us in the dark Italian sky. The ambiance was perfect as we strolled down through the bustling strada to the entrance. Walking through the enormous arches I could imagine all those who had trod these steps before over the last thousands of years. As we entered the Arena, we had to stop for a moment to absorb all that lay before us. Though we had stood in this place before the night sky, with the beautiful stars shining down on thousands of people in the stands presented a breathtaking experience.

Siting in our seats we viewed the people, the Acts I and II, the stars in the night sky but most significantly we gazed into each others eyes as we were captivated by the melody of Italian lyrics. And as the rain began to fall our gaze drew closer as we huddled to stay dry. So my magical opera experience was haulted with the drops of rain and stikes of lightening that filled the sky. Yet the night did not end there as we danced through the rain to hide away together in a little gourmet cafe. The night was not awash as one might think as we had an amazing time at the opera, the cafe, and most of all together. Now I reflect on this night with a thankful heart to my dear husband for treating me to such an event outdoors that does not cause my heart to race because of trepidation but instead admiration for the husband God has blessed me with.

The 52 Tunnel Hike!

2008-08-10T15:11:00.014+02:00

We were off to a bit of a slow start this Saturday morning after receiving some much needed rest. We logged the coordinates into our GPS and we hit the Autostrada with swift anticipation. The 30 or so mile drive to the hike destination was smoothly underway until we hit the neck breaking switchbacks as we progressed up the base of Monte Pasubio.

The hard right at Ponte Verde was the point of no return. Literally, after starting that narrow road up the Mountain we couldn’t have turned around even if we wanted to.

Thankfully, we only came across two oncoming vehicles and squeaked by fine. We parked in the Bocchetta di Campiglia parking area at the beginning of the hike trail, unloaded and stretched a bit.
We geared up with some bare essentials: food, water, lights, backpack, extra socks and good hiking shoes.

So there we were, hiking off into the unknown wilderness. The 52 tunnel pathway has become quite a desired hiking destination for many European adventure goers. The route is a 9km mule path along a cliff edge (of course). The tunnels are unlit and rough-hewn from rock. La Strada delle Gallerie as the Italians call it is translated “The Road of Tunnels”. It was actually built During WWI by Italian mountain troops (Alpini) and teams of miners. It is a mountain path cut into Monte Pasubio in the Dolomites of Italy. At a few points, we found ourselves balancing along a 1m wide ledge above a 1500m high precipice. At another point, we entered the base of a pinnacle, performed seven spirals upward before emerging from the cave’s peak exit. Some of the tunnels were only 20-40m in length and a few were over 300m with twist and turns. Yet each one of them were uniquely mysterious in there own fashion. A couple of offshoot passages spurred our curiosity and we would undergo careful investigation with the aid of our new headlamp.

One of the most interesting things we experienced was how the moisture would collect into drops on the ceiling and then drip onto the floor. This was interesting and yet also proved very dangerous as we both had our turn to lose our footing and nearly “bite the gravel”.

We have some friends that previously attempted to complete all 52 tunnels of the hike but were actually defeated at tunnel 32. Our friendly competiveness drove us on through the paths and tunnels of the challenging trek as we passed 32 and on to tunnel 42.

Here we decided to stop and enjoy the “breathtaking” scenery while we replenished our weary bodies with some well deserved picnic time.

We snapped a few pictures and on we went determined to finish out our journey’s half way point strong.

The next few tunnels were spaced fairly close together and we made some great time knocking those off our hit list. As we approached this point our minds began to focus on the feelings of exhilaration that were vastly approaching with tunnel 52.

We began thinking of the little restaurant that awaited at the end of the trail that we had heard about. Thoughts of steaming hot pizzas, pastas and paninis roamed through our heads… that is until we completed # 48. Only four more tunnels to go right? Well, the tunnels 1-52 were all intermittently spread out at random distances on the rock trail, some 30m and others 500m. From what we saw, it appeared as if we still had four or so miles of terrain to cross until we reached our planned destination. We could only see a small portion of a trail across the valley and it wasn’t close enough for comfort.

Knowing that 1700 hrs (5:00pm) was coming up quickly and we weren’t prepared to pitch camp, we were forced to entertain the idea of turning back. We came to quick consensus of “No way!” There was no way that we were about to admit defeat now. So we marched along the ridge and eventually turned the next bend. Wow, #49 was right there! Then next of course was # 50 not too far after. Picking up the pace, we entered in tunnel 50. It wasn’t to long but one of the outlet breather holes in the tunnel caught our eyes. We stepped out in the sunshine and took a huge gasp of fresh mountain air when we laid our eyes on the “Refuge A Papa”.

The little restaurant that we had heard about. It was in plain sight and we could also see our path with only a few hundred meters left to go. How could this be? As we made haste to complete the last two tunnels, we realized that we had mistaken a separate ridge path across the way for our own. What a hilarious mistake to make. At tunnel 52 we experienced a glorious sense of accomplishment and had to take a picture to capture the moment.

The restaurant was a bit of a let down as they had already closed the kitchen and were not serving any hot dishes. We settled for an apple strudel and a bread roll with a slice of hard cheese. Oh well… After our quick bite to eat and some rest for the feet, we made our way down a path called Rispetta La Natura that crossed the opposite side of our ridge. It was a rocky road that only a 4x4 truck would enjoy traversing. This must be the path that the restaurant receives it supplies through. We “beat feet” all the way down the mountain and even got to enjoy taking some “short-cuts” through some of the switchbacks. Finishing the trek without any scrapped knees, elbows or twisted ankles was a great feat. When we finally arrived back at our car, we were ecstatic! The day was an amazing experience as the hike proved to be a memorable occasion that we will never forget!

A weekend of...

2008-07-27T15:45:00.005+02:00

This weekend has proven to be one of relaxation and some much needed family time. In the hustle and bustle of life it is nice to take a break from schedules and the demands on ones time. The past two days we have relaxed in our humble community with some pilates, movies, pool time, cereal, and lots of sleep. A simple highlight of our time was playing with little Macy. It seems that she is not a fan of her new heart worm medication. So being the good parents we are we put our creative minds to the test. When fiber cereal, cheese and chicken proved to be unsuccessful we pulled out the ultimate delight, peanut butter. The pictures below tell the story of what turned out to be a humorous as well as enjoyable experience for all. Well, we are off to end the weekend off right at church with a nice dinner to follow.

El Encierro

2008-07-14T14:37:00.004+02:00

Pure Adrenaline!
This is simply the best description that I can conjure up when I attempt to explain my experience of El Encierro (The Running of the Bulls) 2008.
Every since I was a young boy, I have always been the proud owner of an extremely wild heart… I as well as most young men came to a time in my life when I felt the need to test my intestinal fortitude and chance providence. This may take the form of fighting in a war in far away place, swimming with the large predators of the ocean, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, climbing vast mountain peaks in nature’s bare elements or challenging his wits against the speeding enraged bulls of Pamplona.
When I returned from Iraq last year, I began to seriously entertain the notion of "Running with the Bulls". Not to prove anything to anyone else but to feed a curiosity that God had instilled in me as a young boy. A curiosity that simply says “Can I do that?”
The fiesta known as San Fermin, a ten day celebration deeply rooted in tradition is held annually every July in Pampalona Spain. El Encierro as it is known to the Spaniards, literally means “The Closing In”. Though, I didn’t come to a full understanding of this phrase until after my actual run. The infamous Bull Run is the real crowd alluring event of the festival. There is so much to the run that makes it so irresistible to the wild at heart. The actual run distance is only 825 meters (approximately ½ mile) long in it’s entirety but impossible to finish in front of the bulls. The reality is “No one out runs the bulls!”, as I was told from a veteran bull runner. My take on it was more like they are similar to a speeding SUV lead by a set of piercing horns while at the same time possessing the dangerously sharp turning radius of a Smart Car! In the run, there are actually six lighter colored steers that already know the run route and then there are the six darker colored fighting bulls that are professionally bred for there aggressiveness that make up the herd that barrels down the famous narrow streets. It is tradition for the runners to dress in all white while adorning a red handkerchief around the neck and a red sash around the waist. I found this fairly amusing because it seemed like perfectly marked targets for the bulls to know where to apply there goring horns.
The morning of the run we left the comfort of our hotel beds early to ensure that we got the spot on the route where we wanted to begin. My Army buddies and I waited over two hours at the foot of the Pamplona City Hall building, with dire anticipation of the start of the run. As the minute hand of the City Hall clock tower drew nearer to the 8:00 am strike, you could sense an invisible yet thick sensation of eagerness and anxiety mixing in the morning air. Comments and jokes like, “Well, this is your last chance to back out” began to stir about the jam-packed narrow street of runners. Some of the local Spaniards bowed and prayed to Saint Fermin for good luck as the local custom goes before the run. For myself, I prayed straight to Jesus for strength and protection. Then, when we heard the first rocket sound off as a warning to all the runners that the bulls were about to be released, we began to pick up a small trot but a course we instinctively looked back “just to be safe”. I was so lackadaisical that I was able to stop and say hi to Mel on the side and let her take a quick picture. So, there we were, running the same streets where thousands of other adrenaline junkies have run before us. My friend Joe had his camera out filming as we laughed and were jogging along the cobblestone streets. The feeling was amazing; there was electricity in the air. Then, I heard the second rocket fire off, indicating that the bulls were unleashed on there destructive path of goring and trampling humans in the same narrow street that I was frolicking on. So, of course while “maintaining my bearing” I began to pick up my pace to a steady run. Our tight group of five began to lose its formational integrity. I found myself consistently looking back for the incoming bulls. All I see are the faces of the people behind me beginning to panic and then I see it, an overpowering sense of urgency and fear in there eyes. Wow, it is astonishing to me to see the power and contagiousness of fear in a life or death situation. Automatically, I began in a dead out sprint while looking over my shoulder and at the same time trying not to collide with other runners all around me. I suddenly look around and realize that we are running on a street that is lined with nothing but three and four story buildings on each side with no cattle fences to jump through in case of an emergency. That is a frightening sensation in ones stomach, knowing that there is no place to go and there are a dozen or so massive stampeding bulls barreling through this narrow alley that I am hopelessly running in. I began hearing men behind me scream, so I looked back again anticipating the imminent danger that was fast approaching my position. Then I saw past the ocean of red and white traditional dress, heads bobbing and they began to give way faster than Moses parting the Red Sea. Following them were enormous dark figures demanding passage through the slim street. Those men that didn’t dash quickly enough out of there path fell victim to the “Closing In”. Suddenly the walls began to get taller and the street even narrower. That is the very moment that I began to understand the real meaning of “El Encierro”. I looked straight forward and began to sprint like I had never sprinted before, trying to avoid getting caught up with men that were stumbling and falling all around out of pure fear. I began to hear a disastrous commotion behind me and then honed in on the sound of hooves pounding the cobblestone. I felt like the bulls were right on top of me. I said over and over to myself, “Don’t Fall down! Do not fall down!” Guys began to dart across in front of me for the false sense of security of the walls that entrapped us. Then I finally saw my deliverance, cattle guard fences up ahead where the street opens up in front of the arena. That was my goal! I turned up the juice and passed up several guys as I looked back again. I clearly saw three of the bulls on a steady path for me. The street started to open up and I began to get plowed into by several men’s elbows that were making a mad dash for the fences. Everything in my self preserving nature began to say, “Hey Crazy, just jump through the fence and your safe!” but my wild at heart self took over and said “This is why you are here! Run with the bulls!” So I did. I glanced over my right shoulder and realized they were too close for comfort and I moved over to the left side of the street as I ran in awe at the several tons of bull muscle running to my right. It was a very humbling moment. As we were rounding the last corner into the arena straight away, another part of the herd passed me by. Other crazier dudes were actually touching the bulls on their sides as they passed an act that some consider being good luck. I would have to disagree. Anyways, I promised Mel that I wouldn’t get myself into trouble so I declined the temptation to join in the extra insanity. I saw a few guys fall subject to the devastating hooves and one guy got horned pretty good but not exactly gored. As they passed, my running pace paused for a moment at a chaotic pile up of disoriented runners on the ground next to the fence that blocked my path to the arena. I think they were trying to get on the fence and ended up taking each other down with them. Not a good place to be in that situation. I quickly maneuvered around the mangled obstacle of entangled bodies and made my proud entrance into the arena. As I trotted in and it opened up, I felt a heightened sense of exhilaration and accomplishment. WOW... I actually did it! That was cut short by the quick reality check that I was now trapped in the arena with these fierce fighting bulls with no where to go. With no shame do I share the following with you. At my first close encounter of one of these immensely intimidating beast, without hast, I magically morphed into Spider Man and jumped onto the wall. I did jump down a few times to taunt a little but when I saw one participant get rammed against wall while he was running around and teasing the bull, I knew my place was right there on the wall acting like Spidey.
After the bull herders rounded them up and put them away in the holding pins, I began to celebrate with perfect strangers; high fives here and a proud hand shake there. But my absolute favorite part was next. They let about five iterations of other bulls out one at a time so that the really crazy guys could have some more fun attempting to touch them and then try to get away without being stomped or tossed up into the air. There horns were taped up, slightly dulling them, as if to give you the impression that they were without danger. But I had this strange feeling that if the horns were applied with the right pressure and smartly placed in the right area, it could possibly cost you a few dollars in medical bills. This is also when I had the opportunity to witness first hand that the bulls had a dangerously "Smart Car-like" turning radius. For instance, when I slapped the fourth bull on its buttocks, much to my surprise, he quickly turned and met me in mid-flight. This was the closest call that I had experienced the entire time. We had a minor scuffle but nothing serious enough to brag about. He left me with a small bruise on the left flank of my back to remember him by. In our quick brush, I had to grab one of his horns but in no means did I “take the bull by the horns” as the old Texas adage says. It was more like, “please let me guide this protrusive object away from my rib cage and vital organs, thank you”. Mel was able to enter the arena and she got to snap a few good shots of the chaos. Afterwards, one of my buddies pointed out that I actually got some blood smeared on the chest of my shirt... I was so proud... I shall never wash it.
All in all, it was a most memorable experience and a once in a life time one at that. I learned a few things from this little adventure. One, no one actually runs with the bulls; they really just run away from the bulls. Two, this scripture now has a new meaning to me. “…God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Tim 1:7).

The Running of the Bulls!

2008-07-09T19:10:00.010+02:00

A great photo taken by Mel. Take note, you are not supposed to make direct eye contact with these guys... they kind of don't like it. They consider it some kind of challenge or something like that.

The mark was pretty faint by the time we got home. Nothing too serious.

Here we are celebrating afterwards... Mel looks so cute! (Notice the blood smear on my shirt... oh ya!)

Congratulations Captain Molina

2008-07-01T21:09:00.005+02:00

Today was the big day for my amazing husband. This is one day that all junior officers look forward to in their career. The day that they are promoted to Captain. He has worked hard to accomplish many things in his time in the Army. This special day of celebration was not about the fancy words spoken, the pageantry of the ceremony, the friends and colleagues represented. It was a public accolade to Charokee for a job well done in making the sacrifices to serve our country as well as a challenge to continue on with the great work in the new responsibilities that lye ahead. We know that God is the great promoter and both Charokee and I give him all glory and praise for this blessing of advancement. As you can see I am very proud of my hubby!

Arrivederci Costa Serena

2008-06-29T21:58:00.004+02:00

Sweet home Vicenza is the tune that we are singing today. It is great to travel and have a splendid holiday but there is just something so sweet and special about coming home to the familiar sights and sounds of home(ie. your bed). The cruise was another amazing adventure. The beauty, wonders and mysteries that are right around the corner never cease to amaze us. Aboard the Serena we were pampered European style as we traveled to each of our destinations. Overall it was a great trip and here are some pictures to tell the story.

Bon Voyage

2008-06-22T10:16:00.002+02:00

We are embarking on our Eastern Mediteranean cruise today. The next eight days are sure to be filled with relaxation, adventure and an incredibe amount of quality time together. This is our second European cruise and we can not wait to get on that floating city again. When we get back we will post pictures and a detailed explaination of our time spent cruising.

Before we depart I want to praise the Lord for my new job. I recieved notification at the end of this week that I got the job as the Vicenza Wellness Center Director. I have been so busy the last few days that I have not been able to fully process what this new position is going to mean for me and us as a family. I am incredibly excited about this new position and I look forward to the challenge that this demanding and high profile job will bring. I know that God has and will continue to equip me.

So until we return from the great blue lagoon...Bon Voyage!

A weekend in review...

2008-06-16T21:34:00.002+02:00

This has been the first long weekend that we have not been out and about traveling. Instead, we have spent the last four days catching up on rest and enjoying our local surroundings. Friday was our catch-up day on simple things that seem to have been neglected in our busy comings and goings. We have found that there is great joy in doing the little things of life with one another. For instance checking the mail, grocery shopping, and washing the car to just name a few. Then Saturday morning we ran a 5K to celebrate the 233rd birthday of the Army. It was not the greatest morning for an organized run but people still came out in the rain to support the local event. Later that afternoon we celebrated with a bar-b-que at our home for some friends. Our little Macy enjoyed having our friends son over as a playmate. We are thinking that she percieves these events to be solely organized as play dates for her. She is such a little doll! After a great long evening, we tried to get some rest before our upcoming early morning kayaking trip. Sunday we spent the day kayaking in honor of our fathers. Since we were not able to be with them on this special day of celebration. It was a great experience to kayak on Lake Garda to the castle in Sirmione. The day was beautiful and the company of each other along with some good friends was refreshing. We loved the adventure of being outdoors while conquering new and exciting places. That night we made it back just in time to make our worship service and enjoy a father's day fellowship. The rest of the night was spent talking to our own father's and sharing in their special day from afar. Monday morning brought about the waking of two very rested souls. This rest continued throughout the day as we tended to ordinary life task of homework, training, bathing the dog and so forth. Therefore it is on that note of thankfulness for a weekend of rest and relaxation we bid they farewell until the next update.

US Army Europe Ten-Miler Conquered

2008-06-01T17:07:00.003+02:00

The 2008 Ten Miler story has been completed for us. This past weekend we competed in the US Army Europe 10-Miler competition. As most of you know we have been training with the Vicenza team for a little over three months for this event. The time that we spent training was intense and exciting all at the same time. As we sped along the autobahn to Germany for the competition we all reminisced over the grueling early morning runs and how in a few hours all our hard work would be applied. As we talked with our teammates I was reminded of Paul's analogy of life to running a race. Life is as a race to the finish line of eternity. Some of the variables of that race that are similar to those that we experienced are who are we running toward, how are we fueling our run, and are we challenging those beside us to pick up and run along. Though we continue to run the race of life, the ten-miler was completed in little over an hour and we give praise for our success. Our teams came in second and sixth place overall as well as Mel received second place in her division. It has been an incredible and challenging experience. We look forward to the next big run, the Berlin Marathon!

Amsterdam & Brussels

2008-05-29T20:28:00.003+02:00

The Benelux is an amazing part of the world that we had the privilege of visiting over Memorial Day weekend. When moving to Europe Brussels and Amsterdam were two places that were top priority for us to visit. Now having lived here for almost three years, the trip proved to be an incredible experience as we had imagined that it would be. We did have reservations about stereotypes of the region but we found the reality of these cities to be quite amazing.

During this trip we came to a realization that we were meant to travel. I know some of you may say that these traits in us are very telling as well as that you knew this long ago. Our desires are to see the world together and we are attempting to do so one city/coutry at a time. So, we leave you with the pictures to present the story in detail of our excursion.

Catching Up...

2008-05-18T10:01:00.001+02:00

Well here we are with a blog. Once upon a time we vowed that we would only have one method of connecting our life with all on the internet. Recently we noticed (with some not so subtle comments from friends) that the previous source that we had been utilizing was not efficient enough in meeting our needs. Therefore we decided to transition into the usage of this great site to keep the people we care about up to date on our lives.

So with that being said, Team Molina still reside in Northern Italy and will be so for the next few months. Our lives are quite simple in a complicated way. Char has a completely unpredictable job, that is highly demanding, yet fulfills his wild heart. So, he truly wouldn't have it any other way. Mel on the other side of the spectrum has resigned from her traditional place of work for a new endeavour of challenging people to obtain a healthy and fit lifestyle through personal training. Through this position she finds great relief and inspiration from the stresses of the completion of her graduate work. Enough about our work, because we believe "those that work hard, play hard". Yes, to say the least we like to play. Over the last six months we have discovered that we are adventure driven people. Our new favorite challenges include hiking, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, sea kayaking, trail running and marathoning. The adrenaline at the present moment is running high in the running arena with our training for the Army 10-miler competition at the end of the month. The privilege of being on this team has been an incredible training experience that has us ready to relax and in need of a recovery cruise that is scheduled in June! That being said, over the last couple of months we have still been doing what we love best and that is traveling with each other. Since the beginning of 2008 we have visited a laundry list of places in Europe some of the major ones include: Vienna, Salzburg, a ton of villages in the Alps, Prague, Munich, Garmisch, Cinqueterre, Dresden and Frankfurt. Our next cities to conquer will be Brussels and Amsterdam this next weekend. That should have caught you up on our most recent happenings. Stay tuned for continual updates on our random life adventures and thoughts.