A Sunday in the Life of a Church Planting Wife

Sunday. . .it is traditionally the holiest of days. . .at least that is what I was taught as a kid. My thoughts on the matter? Sunday. . .it is the CRAZIEST of days. But maybe that's what ends up making it so holy. . .

Yesterday I woke up to what I had braced myself to be a fast a furious exercise of leading and directing and mothering and running back and forth and driving and smiling and. . . I knew it was going to be jam packed. I knew it was a day that I was going to wear 42 hats instead of the usual 20. But I never could have prepared myself in full for the whirlwind that it quickly became. And I could have never imagined the crazy sense of fulfillment that it gave me at the end of it all when I finally snuggled into my pj's and fell quickly asleep to the voice of Paula Dean as I ended it all with Paula's Party on the FoodNetwork.



5:45am - alarm goes off - I only hit snooze 2 times!

6:15am - shower, dress, gather all the last supplies for church, out the door

7:15am - Safeway hadn't even finished making their fresh bread for the morning. . .communion bread and grape juice would have to be bought later. BUT Starbucks is already open. . .Tall Americano with cream, please!

7:30 - Unload my van at the doors of the school - trays and bowls for Communion, 4 boxes full of children's supplies, oj, half and half, coffee to be made, bags of nursery items, my purse, my Starbucks. . . all unloaded. AND the door is locked! I know Kevin is in there. . .bang, bang, bang on the door.

7:40 - "You really are early!!" - Kevin

7:45 - All the contents of the van are now in the school - Starbucks in hand. . .run. . .

8:00 - I have now run down the hallway to the gym of the school a total of 12 times delivering various kids supplies and getting things set up. The setup crew is here now. They (okay, I mean, Kevin :-) ) stole my cart so I am carrying everything down the LONG hallway by hand. . . this is where the smiling part came in handy. . .

8:20 - "Can you please make the coffee - make 30 cups, that's 3 cups of coffee - thanks, Matt." "Where is that box full of name tags we use for the kids check-in? Has anyone seen it? They must be lost. Martha, can you run to Wal-Mart and grab some? - O, and the communion bread , too, while you are at it?" "Kimberley, we had to set up the nursery in a different hallway today because they are cleaning out the classrooms and our usual spot is full of desks and books and globes from the library - can you manage?" "Kevin, you look stressed. . .how can I help? (Kevin) My cell phone isn't working and I'm leaving for South Carolina at 3:30. (Amy) Don't worry. Give it to me and I'll somehow take care of it." "There are chalk drawings all over the walkway coming into the school. Can somebody find a bucket of water and clean that up?" "Where are my keys?" "Who is working the greeting table today?" "Jenna, this is Amy. Did you find someone else to work in the nursery today since it's the 5th Sunday? Yep, they'll need a new name tag." "Can I give these snacks to our kids? I checked and they are peanut free, gluten free, wheat free. . .taste free. . .yep, they'll work." "Karen, I'm so glad to see you! I've gotta go home and pick up the girls and Kevin's mom. I'll get back as quickly as I can."

8:40 - Out the door of the school and driving back home

8:50 - Oops! That was a cop! (hold my breath and keep going) Whew!

8:56 - "Where's ECO?" - he needs breakfast, feed the fish, luckily all the girls have had their showers and are dressed. "SHOES! Would you girls please find your shoes? And please make sure they match! No boots, Olivia! It's 90 degrees outside!" "Get your hair brushed, brush your teeth, "No, you can't bring that rock to church or that Barbie or that magazine. Let's go, get in the car." "Please, please stop whining!"

9:15 - In the car headed back to the school.

9:20 - Greeted in the parking lot with more questions about children's activities for the day. . . Smile, more conversations, the band sounds great, "Is that coffee ready yet? My Starbucks got cold." Where are the keys to the cabinet? Are my teachers here yet? Emma, where's Emma? She is up in the tree outside with Dylan. "Emma, please don't fall. There is no time to go to the the emergency room this morning." "Olivia, stay inside and watch Presley." Claire needs orange juice. Looks like I'm working at the children's greeting table today. All ready to go. . ."I wonder what time the AT&T Store opens?"

10:15 - Everyone is in place. The kids are ready to start their classes. Emma and Dylan find their way out of the tree just in time to go to the gym. The band starts. Alena (2 years old) needs a sticker so she can stay in her class without mom. We take a walk to the cabinet to find just the right one. Finally in the service. Worship ends. Communion. . .video. . .

10:55 - The service is still going on. Kevin starts to speak. Out the door to figure out how to take care of this broken cell phone.

11:00 - Cell phone is dead. $300 for a new one.

11:20 - Back at the school just in time to catch the final song. Smile, smile, talk, talk, Say "hello" to some visitors. Gotta find Kevin's mom. Where did she go? Clean up the gym. Pack the cabinet. Load the trailor. Dump the coffee. Where are the girls?. . .running in the parking lot and hiding in the McCormick's van. Reload my van. Turn off all the lights. Whew!

12:30 - Drive out of the parking lot. Spend $75 on gas. Grab some Sonic for the road. Kevin has to go home to sync his new phone (which by the way, brightened his day). Let the dog out to pee. Jump in the car again and fly to the airport. 45 minutes later, hugs and kisses to Kevin and hurry up to get out of the departure lane before the security guard motions me along. Drive home 45 minutes.

3:00 - Crash. . . .

And there is still at least 7 hours left in the day. . .

To say that my day was crazy yesterday is an understatement. It was insane! But the oddest thing is that it was the greatest insanity. . .why? Because in the middle of it all I knew that I was doing exactly what I has created and equipped to do on that day. . . and I wouldn't want it any other way. Days like this are such a rush for me. I get so amazed when I see it all come together - all the craziness and frantic rushing - when it all does come together - when all is accomplished and well done - when it's finally dark and I'm in my pj's watching Paula's Party. . .it's almost like a holy moment. . .because there is no way I could have ever pulled it off on my own.

Emma and Dylan Sitting in a Tree. . .

They had better not be K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!





























This is where I discovered Emma and Dylan before church this morning. . .hanging out in a tree in front of the school where we have church. These two have been friends since they were toddlers in Texas. Look how they have grown! But hey Dylan, no kissing my little tree climber until you are 35!!!

Why Do I Love Boulder County, Colorado? (Part 4)

I actually have a love/hate relationship with the local Safeway grocery store. I hate to pay the prices that they charge for their food! It often borders on highway robbery what Safeway charges for a carton of blueberries - $9.99/lb for 15.2 ounces today!!! No. I did not indulge. I'm no math wizard, but I don't think that's even a pound! In my mind I fuss and complain up and down every aisle as I load my shopping cart with the most minimal amount of groceries as possible. And yet I continue to shop Safeway - not for the big shopping trips. Those journey's are reserved for Target, my absolute favorite place in the world. But I can't seem to stop going to Safeway. . .and do you want to know why?

I LOVE Safeway because everybody knows my name! It makes me feel like Norm on Cheers every time I enter through the automatic doors. You see, it's the local "spot." For those of you reading this who live in Superior, you are shaking your head and you understand exactly what I mean. There aren't many places in Superior for locals to meet up. But at Safeway I can always count on running into multiple people I know. Even the ladies who assist me in spending way too much money in the checkout line greet me with a "Good morning, Mrs. Colon" before I even place my first item on the belt to be scanned. Those stocking the shelves ask me almost immediately where my girls are if by chance on rare occasion I get to shop alone. And I dare to say that never have I gone into the store when I have not run into someone from the community whom I recognize. And what does that equal? Talk, talk, talk. . . Kevin always wonders what takes me so long when I say I am just running out to grab one quick thing at the store. This is why.

In Superior we are a small town. . .small in comparison to Denver. . .enormous in comparison to my hometown, Princeton, KY, where EVERYWHERE you go EVERYBODY knows your name. Do I love Safeway? No. But do I love going to Safeway? Yes. For some reason in the middle of the hugeness of where we live, it makes me feel a bit. . .I don't know,. . . bigger.

Cold Tangerines

Today I am reading a book that has proven to be the breath of fresh air that I needed, even though I didn't really even know that I needed it. I picked it up on the bookshelf of my local bookstore last week and admittedly laughed at the title and quickly placed it back on the shelf so that I could continue to look for a book with real "substance." You see, I love to read, but I am very selective of the books that I choose to spend my time on because my actual reading time is so few and far between.

There are 2 ways that I choose a book - *First, I read the title and the summary on the back, but the real selling point of the book for me is not whether the author has 5 bestsellers, but instead, who is endorsing their book. If I recognize the names of those people as solid in their area of expertise, then I generally feel good about purchasing the book. *Second, it has to have a cool looking cover. IF the two can be checked off my list then it is off to the counter that I go.

This particular book didn't even get my second glance. I read the title and imagined it to be one of those cheesy women's self help, manage your money well, love your family, be encouraged and smile books that I can't stand. But after a few more minutes of browsing and finding nothing to wet my appetite, I found myself back staring at the little bright orange book entitled, "Cold Tangerines." I picked it up again, performed my book choosing ritual, all of a sudden became intrigued and impressed, still not knowing anything about the author but recognizing every person who endorsed it for her, and reluctantly headed to the counter with my most unusual selection.


Let me just say that this book is quite the surprise!!! Come to find out, it was actually written by Bill Hybels daughter (though she never actually says that in the book, you can figure it out if you know anything of him and his church, Willow Creek). This book has been one of the most enlightening treasures of my summer so far. Maybe it's because she speaks my language. Maybe it's because she has said so many of the things that I am feeling these days. Maybe it's because she is hilarious in a way that is not goofy, but endearing.

I just finished reading part one of the book while sitting at the pool with the girls this morning. Something she said so much summed up the way I am feeling about life and God these days. I just have to share it. . .

"I feel, in the best moments, in spite of the uncertainty, in spite of the fear, like Lily Briscoe in To the Lighthouse. Yes, she thought, laying down her brush in extreme fatigue, I had my vision. I had that line written on my wall for years, years ago, and now it holds a whole new richness. I had my vision, and I thought it would come in a flash, a bright beam of knowing. But is has come in the same way that all things come to me. It has come to me with a fight. It has come to me the hard way, through tears and fog and fear and chaos, and now has landed int he palm of my hand like a firefly. There now, I have had my vision."

Lately I have been in the middle of the fight. I struggle against no one but myself. It makes me mad and scared and sometimes, once I get too tired to fight with me any more, a window begins to slowly open and light starts to peek through and I see glimpses of God's vision for me. But O how I seem to love the fight. It is so hard to give up. I am stubborn and I make life a lot harder than it is. But the prospect of sitting back eating cold tangerines always eventually pushes me towards excellence and vision. I'm not there yet during this time of fog and fight and chaos. But I can almost taste their juiciness.

Why Do I Love Boulder County, Colorado? (Part 3)

RANDOM "GREEN"ness. . . .



(picture taken at the 29th Street Mall in Boulder)

Why Do I Love Boulder County, Colorado? (Part 2)

We LOVE our Dogs!!

The dog culture here in Colorado borders on insanity.

Our dogs eat organic dog food and they ride in the car with us to Starbucks to get a "puppacino" (that's a cup full of whipped cream that they are given at the drive thru instead of a doggie biscuit). We pick up their poop in a plastic bag while out taking a walk. There are dog parks all over the place created just for them to have playdates with their friends. We buy them clothes and designer leashes (Okay, I don't go that far) and there are speciality shops on every corner where you can purchase the most ridiculous things to occupy their time and shrink a family's bank account. I actually saw a birthday cake cookie the other day that was no bigger than the average human cookie and it cost $5.99 - for 2 whole dog bites!!!! (no, I didn't buy that one either. . .but the lady in front of me with the matching pomeranians bought 2!!!)

Dogs in Colorado are a protected species - a pampered species - they live better lives than most humans. . .but don't dye your poodle pink! I heard of a hair salon in Boulder who had a poodle in their shop. They died it pink and got charged a $1000 fine for endangering the health of their dog.

Meet my pampered pooch, ECO (like "echo") He's actually not so pampered, but he sure has cost our family lots of bucks. The things we do for our dogs. . .

Why Do I Love Boulder County, Colorado? (Part 1)

EVERYBODY rides a bike!!! Okay, maybe not everybody. I don't ride a bike. I don't even own a bike. But I love the idea of owning and riding a bike. The largest majority of people that I know here do it. I simply need the 4 seater minivan version with airbags. No, scratch that. . .What I need is a surrey like this happy family discovered at Disneyland. Wouldn't I get some great stares if the girls and I started down the bike lane to Target in this?
Or maybe I should do it Hanoi style like this. . .(you've gotta click on this pic to see the larger image)Who really needs a bike lane anyway?

Maybe someday I will join the bike riding craze of Colorado. It's really cool. And seriously, EVERYONE else rides a bike!!!!! But I just paid $1100 so my van would continue to run. I can't even afford a bike. So for me, I'll continue to enjoy the air conditioning and live vicariously through all of my friends who are burning hundreds of calories and saving the ozone layer and looking really terrific in their spandex all at the same time.

This is reason #1 why I love where I live! Check back for more!

Glocalnet Launches New Site

What is Glocalnet? I could give you the big explanation or you could just click here. I'm sure they will explain it much better than I. But in a nutshell, for us at Cool River, they are the ones who launched us out into the church planting world and the ones who continue to help connect us to our mission of working in North Vietnam. But they are about so, so much more. I am extremely proud to be a part of this group. You really should take some time to browse their new site. It's pretty cool. And more is coming soon. . . (FYI - Cool River was the featured church plant on the opening day of this site. Check it out!)

God's Big Backyard

I thought I would share few pictures of the girl's week at Vacation Bible School. . .

Every summer since they have been old enough to participate, I have found a local church providing VBS and signed Emma, Claire and Olivia up. That is one of the perks of church planting. We don't have to do VBS ourselves because we don't have the manpower, and everyone is thrilled to let us be a part of theirs. :-) (FYI - We have chosen not to provide VBS at Cool River and instead to channel our ministry energies alongside the activities that our town provides to its residents.)

Anyway, VBS is not what it used to be. Gone are the days of vanilla wafers and fruit punch, the pledge to the Christian flag and a game of "mother may I?" in the church parking lot. VBS 21st century is a HUGE production!! Lucky for us and the communities that they minister to, there are some churches where VBS is their bread and butter. And yes, I have to say that I am not too proud to enjoy the fruit of their gifting.

So. . .this year we attended VBS at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. It was absolutely top notch! Way to go RMCC! The girls had an absolute blast!!!




Another week of summer has already passed.

A Day in Niwot

There is this little town about 20 minutes way from my house called Niwot, CO. I never go there. But this week it has been my "get away" spot while the girls are at VBS. As often happens, I was sitting at the Eye Opener this morning reading my Bible and writing when a random thought came into my mind. . .I should take pictures of this eclectic little town. . .no big reason. . .I just felt like sharing. Unfortunately, most of them didn't turn out so great. But here are a few I thought I would share. . .

The market. . .the best "people watching" place in town

Old Town Niwot

Great Coffee!



Saving the best for last. . .Ethanol for $2.99/gallon!!!!!



So where is your favorite "get away?"

A Week of Tennis

Emma just completed her first official week of "for real" tennis camp today. After 30 hours of tennis, fun and sun (except for the days that it poured down rain), Emma is exhausted, but happily still loving tennis.

This week was a growing time both for her and for myself. Emma was given a lot of responsibility as she was left in two new situations that she had never experienced. . .8 hours/day away from her parents, out in the open, at a tennis court/pool with only a few coaches to supervise. . .Mom was a nervous wreck for the first 2 days, but she did terrific. . .Second, this week was the first time I have ever allowed Emma to go swimming without my supervision. She is not a great swimmer - brave, but not a lot of skills. Because of this, I was probably the most nervous about not being there to jump in and save her if she needed me during the two opportunities they gave the kids to cool off in the pool. Again, she did just fine. (I have to admit that if she had looked up a few times she would have noticed a silhouette on the other side of the fence that looked much like her mom. . .shhhhh!)



So a new chapter of life has begun. I officially have a daughter who is growing up. . .three of them as a matter of fact. Of course, I have known that all along, but on this day as I write it is very, very real.

Banjo Billy

I had more fun tonight than I have had in a very long time!


A group of ladies got together to celebrate Wendy Spurbeck's birthday by taking a ride on Banjo Billy's Bus Tour. Yep, you heard right. Banjo Billy. Can you tell it is a Boulder bus? You should see the 70's furniture inside to sit on. . .not to mention the horse saddles if you choose not to ride on the orange, yellow and brown plaid sofa. If you live near Boulder and have never taken this night time tour of the city, complete with ghost stories and Boulder history, it is absolutely a must! But if you do it, you must do it in style!

Tonight about 15 ladies joined Wendy at the Boulderado Hotel. We had no idea what we were in for. But after a few glasses of wine, dark chocolate, strawberries, cheese and tons of laughter and silliness, I think that every lady who went with us is ready to plan the next ladies night out with Billy. Seriously, it is a terrific tour. But go as a group and plan to have fun.

After the Banjo Billy tour came to an end, we headed up the street to Centro latin restaurant for dinner. Talk about some SPICY but yummy food! I definitely drank my H2O limit for the day. It was a terrific night all around. Who could ask for more. . great entertainment, amazing ladies to hang out with, yummy food and lots of laughs. Thanks, ladies, for a lot of fun! Happy birthday, Wendy!

I'll Never Complain. . .

about slow or bad service at the drive thru again.

Today the girls and I were out on our annual Croc shopping expedition. It was truly a girls day out. Pink Crocs for all (except for me - hot pink rubber shoes do nothing for my wardrobe!)

Anyway, after our time at the mall, I realized that it was 12:00 and all of a sudden my stomach started rumbling for Chick fil a. Typically, Chick fil a is by far the fastest drive thru. You can get into a line of 10 cars and still be served in 5 minutes or less. 99% of the time they are very impressive - both with speed and their manners. . ."thank you. . .my pleasure." Don't you just love that!

I have to tell you that today was quite the different experience. It was very stressful - not so much because of their unusual slowness. I'm sure that 2 girls smacking each other across the seat behind me had way more to do with my sense of frustration. But all the same, I drove away swearing that I would never return to Chick fil a at lunch time ever again. . .one of those days.

Next came the humor. Such an insignificant moment in life, and yet by way of random You Tube searching for something completely different, I came across this video. (If you are a High School Musical fan or have tiny HSM fans running around your house, you will recognize these celebrities.) Never again will I complain about my drive thru experience. My worst experience can't possibly equal what these girls had to go through.



Just a post to waste your time. . .:-) Every once in a while I think I should be allowed to share something completely insignificant, don't you?. . .Enjoy the weekend!

The Dream Versus Reality

I just came back from picking up the family minivan from the shop. I suppose you could say that reality has set in once again. Just when I started dreaming of the possibility of not being a minivan mom for the rest of my life, my hopes and dreams were shattered in one grand swipe of the Frontier Mastercard.

Yet another dose of reality hit today. I am doomed. . .doomed to continue to ride in a dirty, trash filled, chicken nugget and fries covered house on wheels for quite a few more years to come. And how do I know this? Well. . .I just paid it off. . .

And of course, the inevitable thing happened. . .People always think that once you pay off your vehicle all of a sudden you will have all of this extra money to put aside into savings. At least that was my original plan. The money would happily sit there and gain interest each month until the coveted day arrived when all of the kids were out of car seats. One day soon they would be able to sit side by side without causing us to have to detour to the emergency room. In my imagination, the days of the dream car were just around the corner.

But today reality set in. And this is the reality of my day. . .I paid off the silver Chevy minivan last month and then. . .you guessed it - a few leaks all of a sudden needed to be repaired. . .$1100.00 later. . .and I STILL own a minivan. . .a leak free minivan, yes. . .but still a silver Chevy minivan!!!!!!! And I understand fully tonight that I am doomed to continue on as a minivan mom for lots of years to come. . . (I mean, how do you justify putting $1100 into a vehicle only to get rid of it in 6 months time?)

So here is a picture of my home on wheels. It is a common little van that sucks gas and smells like soured milk on some days and sweaty gym clothes on others. But it's mine. . .fully mine. And I am blessed to have it. For it is far better than the lavendar car that Kevin once drove (though we loved the blessing of being given that great little car) and it is far more gas efficient than my dad's big truck. It can hold an entire army of kids - 6 car seats to be exact. And it gets me where I need to go. . .so I won't complain. But you better believe that I will continue to dream. Someday I'll drive the cool car. Hey, maybe Kevin would like a minivan for his birthday this month. . . .????

Follow Cool River's Venture Vietnam Trip Here

Our 9th team left Friday for Vietnam. Click Here to follow their progress and keep checking back - they will update the blog often during the next 10 or so days. . .