pondering . . . .

"Salvation costs us nothing - it is a free gift, but discipleship costs us everything."

(spoken by Gail this morning as he summed up the morning's message on taking up our cross daily and following Jesus)

White Pines, CO

For years now, we have talked about meeting Dallas, Teri, and family at Teri's family cabin in White Pines, CO. We finally decided to take the plunge and make it work. It was so worth it! We spent a week in the mountains with them. The children had an absolute ball and were at such a great age to run around in the woods and play in the creek. We took a 4-wheeler trip almost every day we were there. I wasn't sure how well I was going to enjoy them, but it turned out better than I had anticipated. The first day was very dusty and I had some serious doubts about doing this for a week. Thankfully we received some rain showers that settled a little of the dust. Ken did a great job of being careful and not taking chances. Teri has been coming here since she was a child so she was an old pro which helped a lot. Atleast I felt like someone knew where we were going. The pictures show you some activities that we engaged in, but they do not do justice to how much fun we had. Thanks so much Dallas, Teri, Conner, Landon, Chloe, & Lincoln. We miss you and are wondering what trip we can take next!?

On top of the mountain, eating lunch!

Brett & Landon doing what boys do best. Yes, Brett's eye is still pretty puffy. It sure did not keep him from having fun with the boys.

We had campfire one night. The boys enjoyed making their own roasting sticks. I had never seen one quite like Landon's, but it did the job. Ken's isn't a whole lot better -- a pitch fork. I don't want to know where all it has been and what it had been "forking", but it did the job of getting multiple hot dogs cooked all at once. Yes, Linc's is playing in the fire, but we were keeping a close watch.

They loved to play in the creek. It looked very cold to me, but they begged to be able to get in. So, of course, we gave in and let them have their fun. The neighbors grandchildren had built this raft and our children had a grand time playing with it. It did not really float the best, but that did not keep them from trying and dreaming up big dreams. I kept thinking of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn.

Chloe and Briana had lots of fun together. I am so thankful we each have a girl so that they can have each other when we are together. They were great buddies!

I think they are contemplating their next move!

Our biggest ride day consisted of travelling about 70 miles. We covered a lot of ground, ate lunch at a fun, quaint restaurant, and visited with other fellow riders along the trail. (We just couldn't tear Dallas a way sometimes. He IS a salesman!) Our stop at lunch was in Tin Cup. It is a small, old mountain town that is only open about 3 months out of the year. It was very busy the day we were there. It is obviously a popular stop for trail riders. I enjoyed thinking about days gone by and what the towns would have been like 50 to 100 years ago. Amazing! How life has changed and yet people are still the same.

Ken heading up a hill I wasn't sure he should try, but he made it up and created a lot of dust doing it. You can see why we were covered in dust most of the time. You were careful about what you wiped your face on and how often you opened your mouth while travelling.

This afternoon we got to see a "real" cattle drive. Somehow, it wasn't quite the same. The "cowboys" were not wearing cowboy hats and carried backpacks! It was still fun!

We also got caught in a little rain shower that afternoon. The children thought it was great that they could all ride in the back and stay covered. I am not sure what all they were doing back there, but they were having a great time!

I know, it is just a frog that you can barely see, but we went fishing one morning and I have never seen so many frogs in my life. They were everywhere. The boys could not leave them alone. They were just too fun to catch. A little frustrating at times, we were supposed to be catching fish!

We did catch some and our children now have an idealistic view of fishing. Between the six of them, they caught about 20 fish in just a few hours. I am guessing the next time they get to fish, they will think it is very boring! It was really fun to catch that many and we had some really good eating that evening!

They are trying to get their fishing stuff altogether! It was a trial at times.

Bri and one of her catches. She just couldn't bring herself to hold it. I can't say I blame her!

Landon finally caught something. I believe he did catch a fish, but also some other interesting catches that we would not think about eating. I forget what all items they brought up.

Chloe waiting patiently and her patience did eventually pay off.

Brett was lucky enough to catch the largest fish. He was quite proud of it.

It poured on us our last ride down the mountain. We were soaked till we made it back to the cabin and then the rain settled in for the evening. I was thankful we found a new activity that hadn't been needed yet. It didn't hold their attention all evening, but it did help.

We are so thankful for this week together. We were blessed abundantly!

Thank you, God, for safety and loving friends!

Not to be forgotten, we spent one night on our way to CO at Trent and Jennifer Wray's in Pratt, KS. We had a great time. It was way too short, but maybe in another 5 years we will make it through again. The children had a ball with their children, Tyler & Josie. When we were packing up to head home, Brett wondered if we could go back and stay with them again.

Thank You, Trent & Jennifer.

prayer & fasting

Would you join us in a Crazy Love Prayer Challenge?

On September 8th, please pray and fast for all orphans that are "stuck" in the process. We know that their is an enemy that wants to keep these orphans from coming home to loving, Godly families. For us personally, pray that government agencies will allow us to finalize our adoption. We have been in this "crazy" process for 3 years and are praying that God will open doors to finish this process. Thank you all for your love and support.

http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-does-it-have-to-be-so-hard-part-2.html

Colorado Bound: First Stop Branson, MO

The day before we left Brett came to me and said he thought he had poison ivy. I took a look and thought "Well, it could be, but we have never had it so hopefully not." I did know that they had been around it at church because the Sunday before I had seen the evidence on other children's faces. The picture says it all. After leaving home about 4am on Wednesday morning, Thursday he looked like this. Thankfully, till the following Sunday he was looking much better. I was very thankful we did not have to visit an urgent care center while we were in CO.

We began our trip headed to Branson, MO to attend the Noah production at the Sight & Sound Theatre. We had heard great things about it, but I was a little apprehensive because I knew Brett and Bri were going to be very tired. However, it was one of the highlights of the trip. I would recommend it to anyone. The play was done very well and had the Gospel message woven all through it. We all had no problem staying awake through the whole show.

Our other stop before we arrived in Branson was the famous Lambert's Restaurant: Home of the Thrown Roll. We had heard a lot about the place and was very excited to finally get to enjoy it. We arrived about 1 or 2 in the afternoon and could not believe the line of people waiting to eat. I think we only had to wait about 20 - 30 minutes and it was well worth it. It was fun to see the waiter throwing rolls and people catching and trying to catch them. They were also very good, but I only indulged in one because I so wanted to indulge in the fried okra. I love it and it was very good! The rest of the food was also wonderful. We left very well satisfied!

Brett's 7th Birthday

Brett celebrated his seventh birthday by participating in his cousins wedding. We did get in a birthday meal after church at his place of choice - Taco Bell. However, I did not get any pictures. He also had the privilege of celebrating with his cousins, Craig & Sonya Schaurer, who were here to attend the wedding. I do believe he enjoyed his day.

Bart Hoblit marrying Jerad and Candi (King) Schaurer.

Brett and Bri were supposed to be working, but I think they also had a good time running around. They are really enjoying attending weddings where the bride supplies a candy table. Their Dad really enjoys that part of the wedding, too!