A Sudden Craving for Chorizo

We have some major family news to announce. Now, some of you may be thinking that with sudden food cravings, we might be preggers. But au contraire.

Dan has been in the application process with the Border Patrol for over 10 months now. And, as with any government agency, you really have no idea how long the ordeal is going to take. It was like a bad booty call. They would call, requesting this or that, he would of course oblige and then he wouldn't hear from them for months! Just two weeks ago, Dan finally received a phone call from BP offering him a job as long as he passed one last and final fit test. If he passed that, they wanted to send him to training on Sept. 8th!! We were a little panicked of course, thinking of what little time we had left to prepare for him leaving as well as getting him ready to pass the timed fitness test.

So I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Yesterday, Dan passed his fitness test, and after 19 weeks of training in New Mexico, he/we will be stationed in Carrizo Springs, TX (cue gasp).

“Where is Carrizo Springs?” you ask. Well, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, like most Texas towns. But the image below shows just how close to the border we will be.

Dan brags that Carrizo Springs has the cleanest water in Tejas; and if you know me, you’ll know how much of a water snob I am. Aaaand Dan also brags that it might be the one time in his life that he would let me own a horse! If you know Dan, his hatred (and my obsession) for horses then you’ll know this is a big deal.

“What about you, Brooke?” you ask. Oh, very good question indeed. I will remain here in Colorado while Dan is in training (which he leaves for on Sept. 12th, the academy on the 8th was full) taking care of Caliber and of course, working on my español. Once Dan passes training, we will move ourselves to the Lone Star State where we will live happily ever after for the next couple of years until the next opportunity rolls in.

Dan couldn’t be more excited. I mean for starters, one insider, ahem-Brandon...told us that all they do in Texas is eat tacos. Maybe I should call ahead to Taco Cabana and give them a heads up. We’re going to be on a first-name basis in no time. Plus he was born there, so that’s gotta count for something, right?

Me, I’m excited too, don’t be fooled. I’ve never been to Texas so I’m excited for the opportunity to live somewhere new. Even if it is on the ass-crack of the Unites States and Mexico, le sigh. Dan promised to show me around San Antonio and to his favorite places on the River Walk. I also need some sort of excuse to learn Spanish. But seriously people...I’m going to get a horse!!

So there you have it. Our sudden craving for Chorizo Carrizo.


If you are really interested in what Dan will be doing at his new job you can tune in to a little show called Border Wars on the National Geographic Channel.


I included a fun country song to express the moment.

Stay tuned to the Gehl Family Blog for updates as we embark on this new adventure in our lives!


Much Love,

Weekend Getaway

Dan and I were married 4 years ago on August 10th, 2007. The past year has proven especially difficult with Dan being on an evening shift at work. Our time together has been limited and we've found ourselves losing touch with each other and the love that we share. So, this anniversary we decided to take a camping trip to help re-ignite that dwindling, fiery passion.

One of our first few dates that Dan and I went on was a four-wheeling day trip up in the mountains. We packed a lunch and with the top and doors off headed up Shrine Pass and had a great time (even though we got caught in a rain storm on the way home). In an effort to re-create that wonderful day, Dan planned to take us on the exact same trail we went on 5 years ago. This time however, we would camp at the summit of the mountain to make it a two day trip.

Once on the trail, I think Caliber may have been the most excited. I’m still not sure how he managed to keep his balance through it all.

(The road to get to the trailhead)

The trail we were about to take was considered moderate difficulty. What we were unaware of however, was that with the constant rainstorms Colorado has been blessed with, the trail was washed away to nothing but boulders, and the trail had in fact become a river run-off. It was, I admit, a bit intimidating for me. Dan took it like a champ, dropped it into 4wd and carried on without batting an eye.

This is when we realized exactly what lie ahead.

(River crossing 1 of 13,472)

We crawled up the trail and through the river crossings, narrowly missing huge boulders on each side hoping that we wouldn't get high-centered. But with Dan’s mad four-wheeling skills, we made it no problem. We even stopped to refill our water bottles with our amazing water purifier and steriPEN so we wouldn't catch anything creepy.

In typical Brooke and Dan fashion, we had left later in the afternoon; no need to rush things, right? Our goal was to make it to the summit and be able to watch the sunset together. The view was gorgeous! It was a true 360 degree view of absolute awe-inspiring serenity. Dan convinced me to sleep with our rain cover off so that we could see the view through the netting of the tent. Here is a video Dan took after waking up early to watch the sun rise while I was still sleeping:

Here are more photos to enjoy (sidenote: we realized after we left that the battery in our camera was dead, so these pics are from our phones).

(Caliber enjoying his breakfast)

(Sunrise)

On day 2 we took a short detour and went up a little higher on our way out. Here is the view from the top; obviously it was a bit too rocky to camp here.

The trip was perfect. Dan and I both had a great time and Caliber was pooped! 4 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. So here's to my favorite boys, I love you!

Much Love,