Woo Hoo--It's a SNOW DAY!

When it started snowing last night, our kids started praying for a snow day. Will even did a little snow dance--quite hilarious I must say. John woke me up about 6am to tell me our district had a two hour delay, but at 7am when I turned on the tv, they had upgraded the delay to a CLOSURE! Woo Hoo. We're all excited about having a day at home! The only bummer in it all is that John had to go to work. We all prayed for him to arrive safely (he did) and prayed for us to enjoy our day without him--the kids were really sad to say goodbye this morning. Me too. I like it best when we're all home together. We're all still adjusting to this full-time thing.

It's VERY cold outside so I don't think we'll be venturing out. Our temp right now is 16degrees...and it will continue to drop throughout the day. We only have about 3-4 inches of snow, but we're supposed to get 3-6 more inches today. The kids want to bake cookies and just veg. Sounds great to me. We stopped by the library yesterday afternoon after running a few errands and the kids have new books to read and a couple of dvds to watch. They're upstairs reading right now...and I'm not far behind them.
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UPDATE: We've had a restful, relaxing day. Baked cookies the easy way--from the dough we got from our dairy delivery service! Read some books, did some laundry, and right now the kids are upstairs watching The Electric Company. Now THAT'S a blast from the past, huh? I found a dvd yesterday at the library and my kids are glued to it. It's hilarious. HEY YOU GUUYYYSS! Remember that? I'm reliving my childhood while my kids are mesmerized. But hey, it's educational! So I'll let them watch a while longer!

Yesterday morning, I woke up and got my Sunday paper and sat down at the kitchen table with my tea to read and enjoy a slow Sunday morning. It's my favorite part of Sunday. Will stumbled into the kitchen just a few minutes after I did and asked for part of the paper. When I was his age, I did the same thing. And you know what part of the paper I wanted? The comics, of course. But not my X.5 year old. He specifically retrieves the Best Buy and Circuit City flyers EVERY week and proceeds to pore over them. Weird, huh? My kids are only in elementary school, but they have a Technology class. They're learning keyboarding, power point, and from time to time get to surf the net. When I was in high school I typed all my papers on a typewriter...using CORRECTION tape. They know nothing more than the delete key. I feel ancient when I think about that...but grateful for the role technology plays in each of our lives. Technology allows me to communicate with all of you via this blog. Cool, cool, cool!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our friends. It was so relaxing and FUN. We rode horses (just the kids) and four-wheelers and the weather was perfect. It was a perfect holiday really! The ranch they live on is beautiful and I think we explored every part of it. We saw deer and coyote and beautiful scenery everywhere we looked. We're going to go back this weekend and take our family Christmas picture!

Oh...I have a great movie recommendation for you. Last week we watched Akeelah and the Bee. It was terrific. It's about a young girl from the ghettos who shines at spelling...especially spelling bees. It was a beautiful story and the little girl will win your heart! We loved it.

Abbey and I went to Walmart this afternoon. Have I mentioned how much I dislike Walmart? I watched a documentary about the discount giant this summer and swore I'd never shop there again. One should really never say things like that unless you have an iron resolve. Walmart just opened in our town 2 months ago, and I've already been there 2-3 times. I think today was visit #4. They really are the cheapest place to shop--you know--Always Low Prices. My motto though is Always Bad Mood. Every time I leave that place I'm in a foul mood. I don't know why, but I am...just ask John. Anyway, we got what we needed and left. One thing on my list was a snow shovel. We're expecting another winter storm this week and our pitiful shovel broke during the blizzard last month. Now we're prepared!

Have you ever heard of Nooma? While at our friends last week, we watched 3 Noomas. They're short films about everyday stuff that convey a spiritual truth. I think the films are intended to be a springboard into discussion. And by the way, they are EXCELLENT. I'm hoping our small group will decide to use this format for our next semester. Really, really cool! The guy behind the idea is a Michigan pastor named Rob Bell. He also wrote a book titled "Velvet Elvis" which I'm reading right now and it is fantastic. Check it out at www.Nooma.com

I forgot to mention...

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that we STILL have snow on the ground from our blizzard last month. On Thursday, October 26, we got over 2 feet of snow in about 12 hours. It was CRAZY. At some points throughout the day, we were getting 3-5 inches PER HOUR!!! Colorado Springs was deserted...schools were closed, offices were closed, malls were closed, even the interstate was closed. We were scheduled to fly to Arkansas the next day. We were able to make it to Denver the next morning, but it took us 20 minutes just to get out of our DRIVEWAY! It was a mess! Despite our nice temps this week 50s/60s, there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground all over town, our backyard included. Not really enough to play in, but enough to remind us to be thankful for the beautiful week we're having!!!! Hope yours is nice too!

Thanksgiving!

I didn't realize it had been so long since I've posted. I've been meaning to, really I have, but time just seems to escape me these days. I've LOVED today because we've stayed home ALL day. That has got to be one of my most favorite things...I'm definitely a home-body. The kids have the week off from school. That's a first since we've lived in Colorado, and it's unfortunate that we're not traveling this year. Those two extra days would have been very nice!

Our original plans were to join my family for Thanksgiving at my sister's house, but that all changed two weeks ago. John was offered a job at Cook Communications Ministries, a Christian publishing company in Colorado Springs, and he took it! Last Monday was his first day. His official title is Developmental/Acquisitions Editor (fancy-schmancy, huh?) and he'll be part of a team working to build the book division at Cook. It's definitely a change for our family, but he's excited about it and feels like it was time for this next step. I'm happy and a little sad too. I've loved having him work from home for the last two years, and not just because he has helped me so much...I just enjoy being around him. We'd eat lunch upstairs every day, run errands on his slow days, go for Starbucks dates when the kids were in school, and prepare dinner together each night. That all came to an abrupt end last week, and I'm grieving the loss. BUT, having a consistent paycheck will be so nice. It is a blessing for us.

So instead of traveling this week, we're taking it easy at home. Some very good friends of ours are caretakers on a ranch just west of Denver and they invited us to come spend some time this week with them. We're super excited about it. They're like grandparents to our kids who ADORE them. And Kathy called this morning with a great surprise: they got two horses over the weekend--Doc and Pale. I don't know who's more excited about that...them or our kids. They're already trying to figure out who's riding which horse first and which adult they want to go with them. So, it should be fun. We're heading there after we have our traditional Blase family Thanksgiving breakfast at IHOP (in our pajamas!). The kids think it's great because they don't have to wait on everyone to get dressed to go out to breakfast! We do get some strange looks, but it's FUN, and I guarantee you my kids will remember that for their lifetime!

Are you keeping up with the Razorbacks this season? They are ROCKIN'!!! I am pumped they're on television Friday (national television!) and will be glued to the tube. At Will's class Halloween party a few weeks ago, I was talking to another mom who is new to our school this year and she mentioned they were from Missouri. When I told her I was from Arkansas, she got so excited because she and her husband are UofA alums. Sarah and I had just been to the Razorback game in Little Rock that weekend and she was in disbelief. It's been fun to have a new friend who is as crazy about them as I am...AND who lives in Colorado! I've seen her at school the last few Mondays and we always talk Razorback football! I'm thinking I could get her to go with me to a game next year! Go HOGS Go! Beat LSU!!!

so lovely

I took the kids to a birthday party on Saturday. It was a party for our next door neighbor who was four. His party was at this place in Colorado Springs called Pump It Up! It's a warehouse type building filled with giant inflatable slides, bounce houses, obstacle courses and more. You have so sign a waiver for your kids to play and it's really a lot of fun. I raced with Sarah and Will on the the obstacle course and lost every time. Abbey didn't like the obstacle course though and begged me to slide down the giant slide with her...so being the fun mom I am, said "Sure, c'mon sweetie!". Well...at the end of the slide, we had a slight collision. Basically the back of her very hard head hit the bridge of my nose and POP! I heard it and thought it was broken. It started bleeding and swelling immediately and I had to lie down. I called John to come meet me and we got the kids situated and went to the ER for x-rays. It wasn't broken (thank God!) but very badly bruised. It's looking nice and lovely today and my eyes are both black. I'm a sight to behold. Wish I could hide out at home this week, but there is way too much going on! Moral of the story: Be very afraid of places that make you sign a waiver to play...the nurses at the ER told us they see sooooo many Pump It Up incidents. NOW you tell me!

Last week we had our first big snow. 8 inches. Wow! The kids had a delayed start at school and they were so excited about playing in it. I forgot how much I dread all the gear (and subsequent laundry) we have to have just to enjoy the snow! Then the weatherman reminded us that we have about 7 more months of snow...seriously!

The kids got their report cards yesterday (we're on trimester system) and they did so great. Very proud of them. We have conferences with their teachers tomorrow and they're out of school on Thursday and Friday. We're also gearing up for Halloween. I've got to get their costumes figured out. More on that later.

Last week we went to a fun party at some friends' house. They had wild game night. We didn't play TWISTER or PICTIONARY, but instead ate wild game--dove, pheasant, duck, quail, and venison. It was Yummy!!! Our hosts are friends of ours from church, but they have a couple of social circles they run in. They invited friends from each of their circles to get to gether and meet each other. I loved that idea. We have so much overlap in our own lives...it was nice to put faces with names and make new friends! Fun.

Gotta run...my nose story was too funny NOT to blog about. And for those of you who know me really well...you'll remember this is not the first time this has happened to me. About 12 years ago, I was at a Valentines Party and thinking I was running back inside to grab my purse, ran smack into a sliding glass door. Same thing--not broken, badly bruised, and two black eyes. Good grief!

Wooooooooo Pig Sooooie!

It is a happy happy day for me when Arkansas Razorback games are televised nationally!! Such was the case today. I had forgotten until my sister called to remind me. So I parked my rear in front of the television and enjoyed three hours of fall football bliss. As usual, it was a nail-biting, breath-holding, fight-to-the-double-overtime-finish, but the Hogs won and I was happy! Razorback games are one thing that make me homesick. Sarah and I are hoping to make it to a game in October. It probably won't have the same drama as today's game, but we're both getting excited about it! Fun, fun, fun!

Well...it has officially arrived. Snow. It's been snowing off and on all day today. Mostly it's been mixed with rain and it hasn't been sticking, but it's definitely snow. More chances of it tomorrow too. And it looks like winter in the mountains west of here...icy roads, blowing snow advisories, FEET of snow, etc. Crazy stuff, huh? We went to some friends house today (kids were out today for a teacher work-day) and they came running upstairs when they spotted the first flakes. They were hoping Monday would be a snow day and were already planning how they'd spend it. I hate to disappoint them, but those days will arrive soon enough! I believe this is the earliest we've seen snow since we've lived here. Yesterday was the official end of summer (today the beginning of fall) and it's felt more like winter around here with highs in the 40s. I'm off to find my fleece pjs and curl up by the fireplace with a cup of chai and another LOST dvd. See ya!

A Thankful Heart

Hi all. I don't think I'm back "full-time" on this blog, but I'm feeling very thankful this morning and this is a good place to share what I'm thankful for...

...for snow on Pikes Peak
...for my children's teachers this year. God answered prayer! They're all great!
...for all of you who've been praying for me
...for the work God is doing in my heart/life (vague, I know, but stay tuned...)
...for glorious temperatures in Colorado (60s/70s day, 30s/40s night!)
...for Abbey's improved health (we were in the hospital last week b/c of another vomiting episode!)
...for God's hand in my business...it's going really, really well these days
...for John, and his commitment to me and our children
...for a new day, with new mercies
...for my friends, Angela, Jan, and Char who have greatly blessed my heart this week
...for health and LIFE...there are so many we know who are suffering right now
...for Jesus
...amen.

In just a little while John's parents will be arriving for a visit. I've been working like mad trying to get things in order around here and have finally found a few minutes to rest before they arrive. We're looking forward to their visit. Our kids have a long list of things they want to do with their Mimi and Papa. John and I have a list too. We're hoping to get away for an overnight trip while they're here. We haven't done that in such a long time. And we need it.

Last week we took a little road trip to Santa Fe. John was planning to go alone and meet up with a dear friend. He spent a week in Santa Fe last year at a retreat. This year, time and finances didn't allow him to go for the entire time, but he took a couple of days and we tagged along with him. He and his friend were gracious to allow the kids and I to share their time. Anyway, it was beautiful there. The architecture was fascinating, and so was all the art. I read on the internet that Santa Fe is the 3rd largest art market in the US behind New York and Los Angeles. Pretty impressive. Our time was too short to fully explore all that Santa Fe had to offer, though we did get a taste. We hope to go back...alone...sometime. The kids were thrilled though that the hotel had a pool. I'm pretty sure that if you asked them they'd tell you that getting to swim made their entire summer.

We took the long way home from Santa Fe...up through Taos and the Sangre de Cristo mountains. It was the best part of the entire trip for me. It was breathtakingly beautiful. La Veta Pass in southern Colorado is stunning. I think I would move in a heartbeat. We saw grove after grove of aspen and even a herd of elk grazing at dusk. So beautiful. My heart was so sick that I forgot my camera on this trip. Can you believe it? I always have my camera with me...but not this time. Thankfully John's friend took some for me! I was so grateful.

We stopped and ate dinner in Taos and while there this car flagged us down in a parking lot. The folks were from Arkansas and noticed my Arkansas Razorback license plate frame. Turns out they were from Hot Springs...about 20 miles from where we moved here from. We talked for a few minutes and they asked us if we'd heard any Arkansas news that week. We had indeed heard the day we left that Paul Eells, a beloved sportscaster had died in a tragic car accident. I was so sad when John's mom passed that news onto us that morning. I'm a huge Hogs fan and if the Hogs were playing on television, I'd always mute the tv to hear Paul Eells' broadcast. He was such a great guy and his death is a huge, huge loss to the entire state of Arkansas. That same sadness will be felt this fall when the Hogs play and I can't stream the audio from the games. It struck me as odd that we found ourselves in Taos, NM grieving together with fellow Arkansasans over his death. Small world, huh?

Friday afternoon John found a snake in our garage. YIKES! It was pretty small but any size snake is scary to me. He killed it and disposed of it and we still don't know what kind it was. Hopefully non-poisonous. It freaked me out a little that the kids and I had been outside about 30 minutes before he saw it...barefoot of course.

This morning at church we sang on of my new favorite worship songs. It's called AMAZING GOD and it is beautiful. Here are a couple of lines from it: Indescribable, Uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name, You are Amazing God...and another line...You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same...you are Amazing God. So that particular line about God seeing the depths of my heart really struck me. Right now there is a lot being stirred in the depths of my heart...and truthfully, it is hard for me. God is asking me to journey through some of that stuff right now and I've tip-toed into it. I know He's asking me to go a little deeper and I'm doing that...just very slowly. All that to say that I'm going to take a little break from blogging. I don't know how long a break it will be. I do know that I need to take care of myself right now. My temptation is great on the days that I blog to paint the happy picture of our lives. Truth be told, our lives are happy, very happy. But along with the happy is also some hard stuff. And I need to look at that honestly and wholeheartedly. So...stay tuned. I'll be back and I'm sure I'll have plenty to report. And if you would pray for me while I look at some of this stuff that runs deep...I'd be grateful.

Eight-Year-Old Fashion Diva

We've got a little fashion queen living in our home. Sarah has a real sense of what's fashionable and what's not, what she wants to wear and what she doesn't want to wear. Yesterday the kids and I met some friends in Castle Rock for a movie. After the movie, we made a quick stop at the GAP outlet, because it's a shame to be that close and not venture in. I have great luck there finding stuff for the kids and their prices are great! I was looking at the boys stuff, then the toddler girls stuff while Sarah spent about 10 minutes perusing the little girls section. She then came and found me and showed me the outfit she had picked out. It's quite fashionable...black gauchos and a hip, green tee. Being the "yes" mom that I am these days, I let her buy it. She did a little fashion show for her dad when we got home and he gave the thumbs up. She looks adorable in it. I've learned the hard way that Sarah has her own fashion sense...and it's quite different from mine. Sometimes I rebel against her style and just buy the clothes I think she should wear. I usually regret it because they hang in her closet looking new at the end of the season, leading to some serious school morning battles. (Abbey has a great many outfits waiting for her to grow into!) I'm slowly realizing that she just needs the space to forge her own way here. Being allowed to choose her clothes that match her style is a good thing, and I see how it makes her little heart come alive. She loves it. She even loves picking out my clothes. John and I got a sitter and went on a date last Saturday night and she came in my room before I started getting ready and rummaged through my closet for the perfect outfit for me. She chose one, took the things off of the hangers, then laid it out on the bed for me...complete with jewelry and shoes. She told me what I needed to wear to the movies yesterday, and she gets Abbey dressed for me most mornings. I think she'd even pick out her daddy's clothes if he'd let her! I'm kinda slow sometimes to get things, but I think I'm finally, ever so slowly, tuning in to the heart of this creative child of mine. And lengthening my motherly tether just a bit. Just a bit.

And then there is her big brother. So much like me. I told John the other night that I think I need to call both of my parents and apologize for being such a pest at age 9. You know how your parents tell you they hope you have a child just like yourself? Well...I got one. John just looks from me to Will and back to me and laughs out loud sometimes. Slightly irritating. But Will is so much like me. He's constantly asking things like...are you sure you know how to get there, are we going to be on time, did we bring enough money? And he has ears that don't miss ANYTHING. John and I used to talk in code around him but he's even deciphered most of that by now. So now we just whisper...and even that is often overheard. "Mom, did you say we were going to Target? Really? Don't they have toys there? Can I get a toy? I have $8 but the one I want costs $15, so can I still get it? Are we still going to Target? When are we going to Target? Have you decided if I can get the toy I want?" Get the picture? I know I was the same way. So left-brained...and so not like John and Sarah.

The jury's still out on Abbey but we're starting to see some of that birth order stuff emerge. She is very funny...and she knows it. Usually the youngest tends to be the clown and it seems that's the path she's taking. John told me the other morning she woke up early, shortly after he did, and she asked him to cut up a banana for her. Maybe ten seconds later she walked in the kitchen and asked him, "Dad, how are you coming along with that banana?" She makes us all laugh around here. And her own laughter is contagious.

Well my intent wasn't to turn this into a post all about our kids but I've strayed far from that intent. It's okay though. They're the central focus of our lives right now and they're each a beautiful gift. So unique and so very loved. Fiercely loved.

Bummer!

John's sermon from a few weeks ago is available for download from our church's website (see link on the sidebar at right)...the bummer is that only the first 7 minutes got recorded. That is definitely too bad because it was one of his best sermons yet. Our loss for sure.

I'm a newsy girl. I read the Denver Post faithfully every morning while drinking my tea, and I try to catch the news every evening. We have a particular news station that we like here. The news team is kinda goofy, but we like the main weather guy a lot. Tonight I turned on the news while getting dinner together, and instead of the usual weather guy appearing, the station manager came on and reported that Mr. Weatherman was "suspended without pay" until further notice. Apparently, last night the weatherman cut into local programming with a storm alert, and when they went back to regular programming, his mic wasn't turned off and he let a couple of "f" bombs slip. Yikes. He apologized on air last night (the one night I didn't watch the 10 o'clock news!) but his future is yet to be determined. I feel sorry for him. We all make mistakes and I really hope this one doesn't cost him his job. Seems like a well known guy made a similar mistake recently and the public was pretty willing to overlook it and forgive him.

It's been a busy week. Only three more until school starts! Bummer indeed. The time is already filling up and that only makes it seem shorter. So as much as I can, I'm trying to rest and have days of doing nothing. As much as I can.

The Wiping Decade

In January '04 I attended a Captivating conference in Buena Vista, CO. Captivating is the sister book to Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and he co-wrote Captivating with his wife, Stasi. Anyway, Stasi was describing the current season of life I find myself in as the wiping decade...ten years of wiping noses, bottoms, tears, spills, etc. When I heard that term, Abbey wasn't yet two and it really resonated with me. But I've realized this summer that my decade of wiping is drawing to a close. Not too long ago I took the kids to their favorite park (Colorado Springs has GREAT parks) and I took along a book and a lawn chair. I spent most of the time reading uninterrupted. Two years ago that seemed like a far-away dream. One afternoon this week I spent about 2 hours scrapbooking in my room, while the kids played in theirs. Unbelievable. Even last summer that was impossible unless they were all tucked in for the night. So I'm thrilled that the labor-intensive part of parenting is coming to a close, but wondering what the next decade of parenting will hold for us.

Okay...I need to do a little nutritional ranting. Unless you've been on Jupiter for the last year or two, you've heard and know how bad trans fat is for you and your arteries. There's been a major campaign to get trans fat out of foods...like chips, baked goods, things with a shelf life, etc. I'm usually very careful about reading labels but was surprised recently to find that I brought home two items with trans fat in them. One was Bisquik (for Sarah's saugage balls) and the other was Nutri-grain waffles. The Bisquik I can understand, and probably should have read more carefully, but the Nutrigrain waffles really threw me for a loop. I'm constantly looking for ways to incorporate more whole grains into the kids' diet and I thought the waffles would be a hit. They were--just not for me. Even Chik-Fil-A boasts a trans-fat-free menu. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, and that's what makes me so surprised to learn that trans fat is still lurking out there on the grocery aisles. So heads up...read things carefully! I know I will be more careful from now on.

Friends in the south...take heart. Our high temperature yesterday was 77. If the usual west-to-east pattern persists, cooler weather might just be headed your way. And some rain too. It was nice here yesterday and today is a repeat of it. Here's to hoping you can catch a break out east! Or maybe you should consider a plane ticket to naturally air-conditioned Colorado. We LOVE company!

ho hum

It is so HOT here! I know I probably shouln't complain...we're hovering around 90 while our families are enduring sweltering temps in the 100s. John talked to his parents last night and they said they were at 105. And that was the actual temperature. Factor in the humidity and the heat index only raises that temp. Ugh.

Will got his tooth pulled yesterday afternoon. He did great. He even got $5 from the tooth fairy. Lucky kid. He's been to the dentist 4 times in the last week, and John has taken him 3 out of those 4 times. So yesterday, the dental assistant asked John (with great sympathy) if he was a single-dad. I got a kick out of that. I had been there the day before with Will getting his teeth cleaned, but I guess she wasn't paying attention...or maybe she was. Who knows??

So far our week has been filled with appointments--haircuts, dentist, and the pediatrician. Today Abbey had her 4-year check-up. I'm a little behind on that huh? She turned 4 in March! Our doctor recently sold her practice, so this was our first visit with our new doctor and Abbey loved her. Although I wasn't expecting it, Abbey ended up getting 3 immunizations today. The doctor said we could do it today, or come back in the spring because she'll need them to start kindergarten next year. I gave Abbey the choice, and she bravely chose today. She was brave indeed...didn't even cry!

Thanks for praying for our friends I mentioned in my last post. Things seemed to have settled down a bit for both families. Our neighbor won't know conclusively about diabetes for about 3-4 weeks. But it looks like he won't be insulin-dependent at this point. They're going to have to manage his blood sugar with diet right now. That is very good news. Again, thanks for your prayers.

You know...there really never is a dull moment around here. I don't think I'd know what to do if we had one either!

in the blink of an eye

This afternoon we were planning to go with our next door neighbors up to her parents cabin just north of here. We planned to hike, let the kids play, then have dinner with her parents. We touched base about an hour before leaving and she told me she wasn't sure if her 3-year-old was feeling well...he had been very lethargic all day. I met her out at the van to get our stuff loaded up a few minutes before leaving and she said he still hadn't perked up. She was puzzled about what was going on and wondered out loud if he could be diabetic (her husband is) and she went back inside to prick his finger. Well...long story short, his blood sugar was sky high and they headed to the ER where the doctor said it probably is juvenile diabetes...nothing else generates that kind of a spike in kids blood sugar. So in the blink of an eye their lives have changed. Oh and did I mention that in addition to their 3-year-old, they have 13 month old twins??? They've got so much on their plate already and now this!?!

And the day that Sarah had her birthday party, my friend (who did the party for us) got a phone call from her mom. Her mom hadn't been feeling well for a few weeks but had gone to the doctor that day and they found many suspicious spots that needed attention. She headed to the Mayo Clinic and got a report this week that they were all malignant, very widespread, and that surgery wasn't an option. In the span of one week (the blink of an eye) things went from bad to worse. It's very overwhelming stuff. And I feel so helpless in all of this. All I can and know to do is pray...but somehow it doesn't feel like it's enough. But if you want to pray too, please join me. For the Richardson and Luhring families.

This morning we had an amazing church service. On Sunday nights in June, our church offered a class on Psalms. John was one of three that led the class, and a huge part of it involved the participants writing their own psalms...ones of thanksgiving, praise, and lament (more, but I can't recall the other forms right now). In place of the sermon this morning several volunteered to share their psalms corporately, and it was a beautiful worship experience. It was so courageous of those folks to "lift the veil" and let us peer deep into their hearts for a few minutes. John probably has words to express how moving it was, but I find myself lacking the words. Just know it was a rich time. And then...in the blink of an eye...the fire alarms started going off right before communion. In a really calm voice, our pastor asked everyone to gather their belongings and leave the building (a real life fire drill!!!) It was surreal. We all gathered on the lawn right in front of Shove Chapel and without skipping a beat, Pastor Ken led us right into communion with the alarms still blaring and the siren of the firetrucks en route wailing in the background. Can't say I've ever experienced anything like that before. But it was wonderful. We sang a cappella and everyone just lingered there after we formally dismissed. It was the most memorable service we've attended in a long time.

Interestingly, across the campus lawn (our church meets in the chapel on the Colorado College campus) there is a huge parking lot where most of our church members park. This morning, that parking lot was the starting line-up point for the Gay Pride parade through downtown Colorado Springs. So while we were having this beautiful service out on the campus lawn, there is a huge hoopla going on about 300 yards away. We had to do some explaining to our kids on the way to the van...men dressed in drag isn't something they see everyday. Maybe one of the more humorous moments of the day though.

**UPDATE**
I just had another thought or two to add to the above post. First, our church was fine. There wasn't a fire but there was quite a bit of smoke. The college and our church have partnered together and every Sunday afternoon they feed the homeless in downtown Colorado Springs. They were grilling something today and it burned and the smoke triggered the alarms. So that's all good!

The other thing is that we really love our neighborhood...because we love our neighbors. They're not just our neighbors, they're our friends. Last night, my next door friend and I left our kids at home with our husbands and went to Target, then out for dinner. And we were planning to join them this afternoon until a trip to the ER changed things a bit. That's what makes the diabetes thing so hard for us. Last night we were talking over dinner about potty-training, time-outs, and other kid stuff...tonight they're facing a major health concern with their young child. Because they're our friends it affects us too.

Curly Girl

So last Sunday I was sitting behind this girl at church with a headful of beautiful, red curls. Really beautiful curls. I see her at church all the time and always notice her hair. It's hard not to miss because it is an extraordinary shade of red. Anyway, I introducted myself after the service and complimented her hair. We started talking about other things but ended back on the hair topic. My hair is naturally wavy/curly though the flat iron has been my best friend for about 4 years now. Long story short, she inspired me to let mine go free...and I haven't straightened it all week. She directed me to some websites and a suggested a book that I picked up at the library this morning, and I've decided to stop fighting my hair and become an official "curly girl"...at least for a few weeks. Hmmmm...hair...such an important thing to women!

Sarah's birthday was great. She was queen for the day and doesn't seem willing to relinquish the throne anytime soon. She's got a bunch of birthday money burning a hole in her pocket right now and is scheming for a trip to Walmart. I'll take her anywhere BUT Walmart...I can't stand that place.

Abbey went to a little day camp this morning at the kid's play gym here in town. The theme for today was Princes and Princesses. She loved it. She made a cute crown, had a royal snack, and got to play to her hearts delight. It was a nice way for her to spend the morning, and it was nice for me to have a break too. A few days ago we went and toured her new preschool. She'll go M/W/F this year but she doesn't start until after Labor Day. We're switching to a new preschool this year. I should have done it last year but wasn't really thinking until it was too late. Her new one is right across the street from Will and Sarah's elementary school. So, I can take Abbey to school and then walk her brother and sister across the street too (such fun on cold, snowy mornings!). Both schools are pretty close our house. I was so logistically challenged last year on preschool mornings. This will be a nice and welcome change. Abbey's excited too but a bit sad that her friends from the last two years will be staying at her old preschool. She's such a great kid though and makes new friends very quickly. She'll be FINE!!

Our neighborhood is having a big garage sale weekend. Will and Sarah begged me this morning to ride our bikes around to all the sales. We hit a few of them and they spent some of their money on some things they didn't really need. They each bought a beanbag chair. Sarah found hers for $1, but Will had to pay $5 for his. Good lesson for them about economics, huh? Anyway, the sale continues through tomorrow and they're both begging (pleading is more like it) to let them sell some of their old things. I can't stand having yard sales. So much work for so little profit. We'll see. I keep telling them to ask their dad. He's nicer than I am though so he'll probably say "Sure...just don't bother your mom"...which never ends up working out quite like he suggests it might. I'll let you know...maybe we can sell that stupid NordicTrak that's still sitting in our garage.

The "D" Word

The "D"entist. Well...little Will didn't get his tooth pulled today. John took him this afternoon and they were home sooner than I expected them. Will walked in the back door crying, but said it wasn't because his tooth hurt. He freaked out when they put the mask over his nose for the nitric oxide (I think that's the name of the gas). He hates that part...I remember from his previous experience. They tried for a while to get him to cooperate but to no avail so the the dentist pulled the plug, wrote him a prescription for some valium, then re-scheduled for next week. Lucky kid. So next Tuesday he has to take his valium before he goes to the dentist and hopefully will be relaxed enough not to fight the gas mask. Start praying NOW!

Dentist is a "d" word, but the other "d" word that hit me today was divorce. I got a call this morning from one of my friends in Arkansas telling me that some friends of ours are getting a divorce. It's a terribly sad situation. Unfortunately, getting phone calls like that is becoming all to familiar...we know four couples who are in the midst of that right now. It grieves my heart. As I was listening on the phone this morning, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. I don't know quite what to do with information like that except to pray for them...and especially for their children. In all four cases young children are involved. I just want to cry for them.

Tonight we were outside with the kids and I was pulling weeds in our flower beds. Here's a thought provoking question for you...what exactly are weeds good for? Do they exist for a purpose? And why do we have so much trouble growing grass but not dandelions and all those other pesky varieties? Anyone have a good answer????

Tomorrow is Sarah's 8th birthday. She is very excited about it too. She woke up this morning asking about her cake, presents, birthday breakfast, birthday lunch, birthday dinner, and tonight asked us if she could invite the kids in the neighborhood over for a birthday party. I reminded her that we had a party last week but she wasn't quite satisfied that and is still scheming for some sort of neighborhood bash tomorrow afternoon. I wasn't planning to make a cake because we had birthday cupcakes at her party last week so we talked her into making some ice cream sundaes tomorrow night. She agreed on the condition that we serve ice cream with blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Sounds yummy to me. She's requested sausage balls for her birthday breakfast and Subway for dinner tomorrow night. And we've got the presents taken care of though I need to get them wrapped in a little while. We pulled out her baby album this morning and I was amazed at how fast the last 8 years have gone. The days on her infancy don't seem that far away. Anyway, she's a great kid and we're so proud of her. Tomorrow should be a fun-filled day!!!

Oh yeah...today was the first day this month that we surpassed 80 degrees. It finally felt like JULY!

Remember back in April and May when I was so ready for school to be out because I LOVED having the kids all at home with me? Well...toay I'm ready for school to start again. Arghhh. I think I'm going crazy. I had to leave for a little while today and I couldn't have been happier about it. They're whining and arguing and seeming not to listen to or care about a single thing I say. It's getting really old. And summer is feeling really long. Thankfully John has been around to absorb some of this for me, and that's been a really good thing.

Will is having a tooth extracted tomorrow. It's a molar on the bottom left. He had a cavity in that tooth a long time ago, but now it has started to abcess and has to come out. Better sooner than later, so we have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. Ouch! It makes me hurt just thinking about it. He actually had a tooth pulled a couple of years ago and did great. We're hoping for a repeat procedure. This time around though we have dental insurance. We haven't had it in YEARS, so it will actually be nice when it comes time to pay the dentist tomorrow...or at least that part won't be painful. Our health insurance is the reason that John continues to work at REI. They offer health insurance to all part-time employees--regardless of hours worked. For over a year we paid for our own and the cost was outrageous and our coverage pitiful. REI has been a huge blessing in that regard.

hodge podge

We finished watching America's Funniest Videos a little while ago. We all love to laugh and that show keeps us in stitches. After it was over, John was flipping channels and the Simpsons was on FOX. I was doing something with Will, but I heard Abbey say, "Cheese-sticks...it's the Cheese-sticks!" After a couple of minutes had passed I burst out laughing. I buy string cheese for the kids all the time, and the Simpsons characters are on the packaging of a particular brand. When she saw the Simpsons on tv, she immediately associated them with string cheese and kept asking to go back to the Cheesesticks show. Hilarious. It was also funny during the Sonic commercial when she told us she wanted a bubble gum "flushie". I think she meant a "slushie". Hope so anyway.

John shared a fantastic message this morning. I'm pretty sure it was recorded, but I don't think it will be available from our church website for a week or so because the guy who does that is out of town until next week. I'll try to alert you via this blog if and when it is available for your listening pleasure. smile. It is always a little hard for me when he preaches. Mostly because I know that he is really enjoying himself and is living out his calling. Seriously, so many people come up to us both after he preaches and tell us things like...he has a gift, his words are annointed, and wow...that was beautiful. And that creates tension in me because I have really enjoyed this break from pastoral ministry for almost two years. Our last church experience was very, very hard for me. Selfish, yeah. Honest, you bet. I'm not exactly sure what to do with all that either. I guess I wish that he could just keep doing things the way he's doing them now...work full-time in publishing and preach a little on the side. I like not feeling the "pressure of the position" and I know he likes that too. But when he's in that role, like he was this morning, I know that preaching is not completely written out of our future. So we both contine to pray about that and keep all options open.

I just have to give you a little weather report because our July weather has been so bizarre. It has continued raining all day today and we haven't seen the sun since Friday. Our lawn is loving this rain, and so is our checking account. Water here is so expensive because there isn't enough of it. We have watering restrictions and are only allowed to water three times/week. We've had significant rainfall every day this month. It's creating problems all around us too...roads washing out, flooding, rockslides (the front page of today's Denver Post showed a car parked along a highway smashed flat by a boulder that fell!), and standing water everywhere. So unusual for a state that has had drought-like conditions for the three years we've lived here. The rain has brought very cool temps though. I don't think we've hit 80 degrees since the end of June. We went to the park after church for a party for a friend and it was FREEZING! The bank temp sign read 55 degrees at 2:30 this afternoon. So, not only are we saving money by not having to water...we're not having to run our air conditioner either. Nice.

Oh yeah...John's meeting with Eugene Peterson on Friday was cool. He went to a large assemby meeting at NavPress where Mr. Peterson spoke, then he went with a group of 10 to lunch with him. It was nice, and John said he was pretty much as he expected him to be. It was a neat opportunity and John was grateful for it!

Every so often I think of something that I really miss about living in the South. Last week, I remembered how much I miss swimming pools. You just rarely see them around here (water is scarce--seriously!). But in the south...wow...they're everywhere. I get such a kick out of flying into DFW airport from here. As you're landing, you look out the window of the plane and all you see is a blur of turquoise from all the pools. We do have a few pools around here, but most of them are indoors. They get more use out of them that way because when it's 68-70 degrees in July, it's not really warm enough to swim. When we lived in Arkadelphia, we had lots of friends with pools as well as a great aquatic park. I would take Will and Sarah swimming almost every day (before Abbey came along!). It is great fun and a great way to get your kids to sleep at night...exhaustion works wonders. We've been swimming once since we've lived here...isn't that SAD? My next door neighbor took us to the pool at her parent's high-rise condo in downtown Denver last summer. It was fun, but kinda weird too. The pool was on the third floor. Still fun though. So yeah...I really miss swimming and having a pool to swim in.

Lazy Day

Today is one of those days that just screams LAZY! We've yet to see the sun though we've seen a slow, steady rain for a few hours now! I love it! It's one of those days where I think I could just stay in bed and read or watch tv ALL DAY!!! I can't even remember the last time I did something like that. Probably BK--before kids.

Anyway, John gave me a chance to be lazy today. He gave me the morning off...a huge gift. He's so busy with work these days and that leaves me dealing with the kids for long stretches without a break. And breaks are really, really nice. So I got one this morning. He got everyone up (actually, Abbey got everyone up about 6:50 AM), fed them breakfast, got them dressed, then took them with him to run errands. I got to stay in bed and read for awhile, then work on getting our Estes Park photos from last week in a scrapbook. Very relaxing, and very good for my heart!!! They were gone for about 4 hours and I enjoyed every single second of quiet. Sometimes I like to leave the house for a break, but the best break for me is when THEY leave and I get to stay home. So, thanks John!!! I owe you.

Sarah had a fun birthday party this week. It was a rubber-stamping/scrapbook party. One of my friends is a rubber-stamping enthusiast (it's actually her business) and she has a scrapbook room in her basement. We went to her house and she organized some projects for the girls and then let them have lots of creative space. It was GREAT and Sarah was really in her element. She helped me put together some fun treat bags for her guests--full of scrapbooking goodies. So, I was kinda in my element too. It's fun that we've found something we both enjoy and love doing together. We followed up the party with lunch at Fatburger. So she was queen for the day, and thinks she will remain queen until her actual birthday arrives this week! I'm all for it!!! Birthdays usually last awhile around our house.

Our weekend is feeling really full. We have a friend's 40th birthday party to go to tonight, and another party after church tomorrow to celebrate one of Sarah's friend's victory over cancer. John preaches in the morning too. So yeah, a full weekend. Glad I got rested up this morning!

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

It has been raining for about 3 hours now. And I can't even begin to tell you how uncommon that is in Colorado. It has rained like this for the last 4-5 days and it's GREAT! We are usually so dry that we pray for this kind of moisture. It's not unusual to get a shower or two each afternoon in the summer, but they're usually brief and the sun comes right back out. These however, have been slow-moving storms that are dumping major rainfall, and we've got puddles all over the neighborhood. It's amazing, and we're so grateful! Our fireworks even got rained out last night. We didn't go downtown as planned because we had major storms yesterday afternoon and the ground was soaked. We went instead to the cul-de-sac at the end of our street and watched two different firework shows from afar...until the second storm that moved through put an end to things. It was fine though...by that time we were wiped out from the activites of the day and were only a few hundred yards from home!! Oh yeah...it was freezing cold too! We all had on jeans and fleece and were wrapped up in blankets and were still shivering! I LOVE summertime in Colorado!!!

Next week Sarah will be eight years old. We're having a birthday party for her tomorrow! She is so excited. Should be fun...I'll let you know how it goes!

Tonight is the first time in about a month that all of our kids were in bed with the lights out at 8PM. With our company here, then vacation, then July 4, we were pushing 9:30-10:00 every night. Highly unusual for us. Our kids are in bed by 7:30 on school nights!!! I'm ready to get back on schedule. Otherwise John and I never have any time alone.

John is up to preach again on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it! He's swamped with work and deadlines right now and is trying to squeeze some sermon prep in somewhere. Last week was so nice for him...he really needed a break from all he's got going on right now. But right now, Estes Park feels like a lifetime ago. He's getting excited about Friday. It's the day he gets to meet Eugene Peterson (the Message guy) at NavPress. Exciting stuff.