where are you?

where are you? i was hoping that this was the week.
now i am hoping (and praying) next week is IT!

flowers of the field

if our Heavenly Father cares enough to decorate an unseen field with such beauty,

how much then do you think He cares about us?

(i am overjoyed each yr when we wander back thru the woods and discover this site...)

every time i find a flower hidden i think about this.

no one even sees this flower but God put it perfectly, beautifully right in that very spot.

a treasure.

and so every year when this amazing field blooms in all it's glory in a place maybe not seen by anyone but us

i am reminded of the little things God created. flowers. springtime. beauty.

i am reminded that our God is an awesome God. and cares about every detail of our lives.

14

i never really thought we would make it to this...
14 months and still waiting on Bristol.

i am praying you home, my baby girl. i can not wait to see your sweet face, hold you close, and kiss your face. i dream of you each day and pray for you constantly. know that you are treasured, prayed for & loved beyond anything imaginable. i know God will bring us together in His perfect timing. i am praying it will be at any moment!

where we were

we were here...

with awesome people from many places ...

and here.... where we ate each day...in a different seat each time:)

i miss the mountain view... with snow on top (dining with a view... though this pic doesn't do it justice)
and here ..... movie time!


and here...

with little friends friends friends

and bigger friends

and with all these peeps (minus one family who had to leave early)

our send off... what amazing people. friends. i am blessed to have known each one!

part 3 of 3

our God is an awesome God.
i am in awe of His wonders.
this place is called Garden of the Gods and well, it is majestic and beautiful. only God could make something amazing!
we enjoyed finding trails and climbing all over this place. we could have handled more more more of this fun!

and on a side note...

today we started our goodbyes here. hard. i will miss these folks and the sense of community here. it was also a hint of changes and loss ahead. hard.

part 2 of 3

we talked with mimi about how when she was 8 yrs old (briley's age) her family drove out on route 66 and rode the cog way up pikes peak. how cool it was for bri to do the same adventure @ the same age as mimi. (with the exception of route 66- isn't that the road mater and lightenin' use??? movies, not real life? hehe!)

the station looked like it hadn't changed in years as did the city. $35 motel folks. no joke- looked just like it did when mimi was here i bet!?the view from halfway up the peak

the rocks out the window are in feet and feet and feet of snow. and rocks- well that is why they call it the rockies!

on our stop we got a good pic of our cog train

a look back up the tracks towards the peak

and well, this was all she wrote! we were disappointed not to make it all the way to the top. 12000 vs 14000 ft was all the ole train could do b/c well the snow was too deep. so deep in fact they were going to use dynamite to blow it up! now that is some snow!

no matter, we enjoyed the trip and doing an american adventure... ridin' up the peak!

part 1 of 3

part 1 goes like this...


our crew ventured to the United States Air F*rce Academy





this is where we started- a view of the campus

this shows the cadet chapel- that incredible spiked high bldg you see

ths chapel was breath-taking to say the least. you can see some of the stained glass reflecting on the R side. this was on both sides and went all the way up to the ceiling. you could also see thru the other panels to watch the clouds roll by and look in awe at the mountains. again, i say wow!

more on this later...

our next stop had brax fired up. not only the field but ... what... practice. cool! (that's him after he snuck all the way to the front row)

come on, mom! the boys went on the field. can we go?!

not joking. we stood on the sidelines for practice and...

even got a pic with a very generous player:)

......

now for a highlight!

now to make this entire experience even grand-er we returned Sunday for worship in the chapel. amazing! i couldn't help but praise the Lord as i witnessed these soldiers worshipping. and we were even able to be a part of communion. to worship here today will always be a blessing to me.

and yes, as soon as the singin' stopped and the preachin' started the bear went comatose until the entire service was done. good thing too b/c the big kids had chosen the 2nd pew from the front as our place of worship!

deep stuff, good stuff

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. Matt 11:28-29 from The Message

Read the scripture again. Ask God to speak in to you. Dig deeper into the come, walk, rest, recover, grace, company, freely and lightly...

This was the scripture we meditated on today.

Good stuff!

I'll leave you with one last question...
Do you spend as much time talking and being with God as you do with others?

Whoa!

experiencing

we are experiencing amazing things here.

the family times and hikes and adventures are one thing BUT...

the training we are receiving has been more than we thought. better than we imagined.

we are being equipped for life. life beyond missions. everyday life. i could have used these tools years ago. and i will use them daily. joe and i are learning so much. and the kids- they are learning too. learning and tasting and snowball fighting and building friendships and playing spy club and on and on.

finally after one full week, i believe we have settled down and are finally getting the rest we need. thank goodness b/c i am a grump before 6 am.

until later...

Golden and Bill

the theme for the end of our wkend was FREE

we stumbled upon the grave of Buffalo Bill. though, neither joe nor i knew his "story", we thought american icon...it's our duty to pay our respects.

so we pull up and lo and behold it's his birthday. free admission, cake and ice cream, and more costumed folks than we could count. the history and views were amazing.

the next freebie we spotted from our view from the grave of Buffalo Bill...

in the town of Golden, CO

was....

the coors plant. pretty interesting folks. the kids loved listening with their own headsets and seeing the "bigness" of it all

fun stuff. fun stuff.

and free. can't beat that.

now, back to training and learning. which has been eye opening and wonderful.