Update

Wow --- Nearly a month since the last real update.. I wish I could say that I have been super busy and haven't had the time to do any writing but that just wouldn't be the truth. Part of the delay relates to my ability to connect to blogger at work. For a few weeks now my way around the pesky Internet filters had been foiled but alas today it is restored!!

Since the last update we have had some exciting things going on.

Liz attended a weekend women's retreat with a bunch of other women from our church and had a great time connecting with some of the other women from church. They had one of the woman leaders from church speak and she had some great teaching and insight that really challenged and encouraged Liz in her walk with the Lord. Even though she was apprehensive about attending some prodding from Eric and other women at church convinced her to go and she was so glad that she went in the end.

Our little doggy Roxy got spayed and had an uneventful recovery from her surgery but was spoiled rotten in the process. Because we had to make sure she wouldn't lick or pull her stitches, she got to sleep on the bed with us instead of her kennel and I slept very lightly so that I would notice any movements that she made in the night. It most certainly must be akin to what new parents sleep like for their first child.. Oh the things to look forward to.

At around the same time, my sister, Katie visited us from Michigan and got to spend a beautiful 9-10 days with us in the sun and worked on her tan. She became Roxy's new best friend and assisted us in spoiling her rotten during her recovery. We had a great time with Katie and found out that she is the greatest house guest ever. We felt bad leaving her at home all day while we still had to work but she made the most of it playing with Roxy, going to the pool, and walking to the nearby shopping centers. She also found time to almost always do our dishes and pick up our house while we worked.. How great is that. We also did a bunch of hiking all around the valley and went to Sedona for a day. We capped off her visit with dinner at one of our new favorite restaurants in Phoenix the Elephant Bar. You can see pictures from Katie's visit at our Flickr page.

Eric got the chance to start playing with the worship team at church a few times the last month and was asked to lead worship a couple of times for a small Wednesday night gathering of about 60-70 people. It has been a real joy to be able to return to being a part of a worship team particularly with some of the phenomenal musicians that are a part of the team at CCOJ.

Eric's mild obsession with photography continues, the results of his photographic exploits can as always be found on the Barz family Flickr page. Liz continues to be a good sport and let Eric use her as a (sometimes) willing model for his experimentation with lighting and camera settings.

We have officially started the countdown to our return home and we are only about 3 1/2 weeks from making the 2000 mi. drive back to Michigan. We are looking forward to it and can't wait to see everyone again. We also get to be home for both of our sisters graduation open houses which we weren't sure would happen but thankfully schedules worked out great.

We also celebrated our 2nd Anniversary during Katie's visit which was part of the occasion for going to the Elephant Bar. We continue to be so blessed in our married life by great family, friends and community. Thanks to all who continue to be a part of our still new life together as we figure out how to live life together and grow in to a more mature family.