Another Birthday Has Come and Gone

I can tell I'm getting older. The birthday celebrations aren't quite as anticipated. The gifts are becoming more practical. And I'm blogging about it 3 days late.

On Monday I turned 33 years old. It really didn't seem that old to me until some of my Facebook friends who were once little bitty kids when I knew them were all amazed that I was so old - thought I was still in my 20's. But this year, once again, I'm embracing my 30-something and finding thankfulness that at least I'm not in my mid-thirties just yet like my dear, sweet hubby.

Here is a photo rundown of this year's birthday festivities. . .




Kevin cleaned the house. . .
while I got a pedicure with my friend, Jenna.

I got cards and gifts from family, lots of hugs and kisses from Kevin and the girls, and 46 Facebook "Happy Birthday" wishes. I felt loved.

WooHOo! Happy Birthday to me!

DNC '08

It all starts today! All eyes will be on Denver for the next few days. I'm only 30 minutes away. It's so tempting to go celebrity seeking. But I think I'll stay in the suburbs and watch it all on TV like you. They say that we in the Denver area will get 6 hours/day nonstop coverage of the Convention. Somebody save me now!

First Day of Friday School

Yes, we homeschool, and we love it. . .but my saving grace is Friday School. Because there are so many homeschoolers in Colorado, the public school system started offering a day of school just for them. It's full of extra curricular activities such as art and science lab and geography and PE and Kindergarten and. . .you get the idea. So at the end of every week the girls get one day, 8:30 - 3:30, to really go to school. It's a great balance for us. This year there are over 130 kids in the program we attend and today they were all thrilled to say the least. . .especially Olivia. There has never been a more excited Kindergartener. She bounced all the way to her class, waved and blew me a kiss as she ran to high five her teacher and enter into her classroom.



To celebrate the first week of school, tonight we went to Chuck E Cheese. The pictures are obviously not made with Chuckee. . .instead, the girls were more excited about the little girl statues outside of the restaurant.

It's Official

Summer has come to an end in the Colon home and all three girls are officially in school this year. Here is Olivia on her first day of Kindergarten.



I was reading a friend's blog this morning and it made me laugh so much that I had to share. . . I'm not sure if the humor can be appreciated to the fullest until you have tried to teach the English language rules and phonics to a child learning to read for the first time, but at least it will give you a glimpse into my world for a few minutes. My girls have asked so many of these questions already. I feel like such a dummy when my answer to "why?" is always. . ."just because. . .I really have no idea."

Let me know if it makes you laugh, too.


Let's face it
English is a stupid language.
There is no egg in the eggplant
No ham in the hamburger
And neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England
French fries were not invented in France.

We sometimes take English for granted
But if we examine its paradoxes we find that
Quicksand takes you down slowly
Boxing rings are square
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If writers write, how come fingers don't fing.
If the plural of tooth is teeth
Shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth
If the teacher taught,
Why didn't the preacher praught.

If a vegetarian eats vegetables
What the heck does a humanitarian eat!?
Why do people recite at a play
Yet play at a recital?
Park on driveways and
Drive on parkways

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy
Of a language where a house can burn up as
It burns down
And in which you fill in a form
By filling it out
And a bell is only heard once it goes!

English was invented by people, not computers
And it reflects the creativity of the human race
(Which of course isn't a race at all)

That is why
When the stars are out they are visible
But when the lights are out they are invisible
And why it is that when I wind up my watch
It starts
But when I wind up this observation,
It ends.

Lao Cai, Vietnam - Tragedy Hits the Area Where Cool River Works

Click Here to Watch Video

Tropical storm leaves 100 dead, missing in Vietnam


HANOI (AFP) — More than 100 people were dead or missing in flash floods and landslides as heavy rains brought by tropical storm Kammuri pounded mountainous northern Vietnam, officials said Saturday.

At least 72 people have died and 37 are missing since the storm hit the poor and widely deforested region on Friday, having previously lashed Hong Kong and southeastern China, said central and provincial emergency services.

Worst hit was Lao Cai province near the Chinese border, where at least 36 people died and 32 were missing, hundreds of houses were destroyed or damaged, and transport links were cut, isolating some areas, emergency officials said.

"Landslides have hit many areas, but flash floods have caused the largest number of deaths," said Pham Van Quang, an official with the provincial flood and storm control committee. "It's still raining hard here.

"At least 800 houses have been destroyed or damaged. We are still trying to get in touch with local authorities to help the people there. Rescue efforts are ongoing but they are being slowed by the severe weather."

State-run VTV showed residents in Lao Cai moving on wooden canoes through a town where flood waters reached the roofs of one-storey houses.

Quang said that authorities were updating the figures of dead and missing, but that they had no contact with some districts because of damaged telephone lines and cut-off roads, including the "completely isolated" Bat Xat district.

PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYING FOR THESE PEOPLE WHOM WE HAVE COME TO LOVE SO MUCH. IT IS HARD TO BE SO FAR AWAY FROM THEM AND UNABLE TO HELP AT THIS TIME.

Gifted to Lead

I read this entire book last night and today - less than 24 hours!! That's my kind of book. It is FANTASTIC! So, I had to give it some blog time. . .

"Nancy Beach encourages women with God-given leadership and teaching gifts that they are not alone, their gifts are not a mistake, and God has exceedingly important work for them to do."

What an Honor (Part 2) - the Concert

So like I said in my "Part 1" post, I spent last Sunday evening with Steven Curtis Chapman. At least I like the sound of that a whole lot better than saying that I was one of thousands that filled the stands at Coors Field to hear his story and concert. Alas, it is true, though. I was just one of thousands. . .check it out!

And yet, what an honor it was to be one of the thousands.

I'm sure that many of you have heard the Chapman story about how they lost their adopted daughter, Maria, back in May. If not, Google it. You'll easily get the whole scoop.



I have been to numerous SCC concerts over the years - quite a few in Nashville, the Dove Awards, in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Colorado Springs, churches, amphitheatres, and now in Denver at Coors Field. (FYI - I had to laugh. . .you could even have a beer at this concert as long as you bought it before the end of the 7th inning stretch) Some concerts were more intimate than others. Some were more flashy and loud than others. All have been worshipful and wonderful. But this one. . .this one was different from all of the rest. This time with SCC sat in a league of its own.

I wish I could really express to you what it was like. . .to see his determination. . . to watch his sons behind him. . .to watch his face on the big screen and see no smiles and little excitement. It was so real, his pain. And yet I found myself drawn to his words and his stories like never before. He and his kids were on a mission. You could tell that they were out there not because their hearts felt light and worshipful, but because they had to do it. . .they had to re-enter life.

God had given them a story to share and they had determined to put on their game faces and go for it. . .in the middle of the pain. And the authenticity from SCC's story about Maria was both heart breaking and refreshing. It made him real - one of us - and at one point, no lie, the thousands were crying (this came when he told us that the first song he sang in the emergency room after her death was "blessed be you name") Then he sat at the keyboard and played "When love takes you in(a song about adoption). And in the middle of it, it started to RAIN! It rained hard. . .

But 20 minutes later the coolest thing happened. Almost within the same second, the rain stopped and the sun popped out so bright that I went scrambling for my sunglasses. And SCC and the band must have noticed it too - the dramatic change in weather that seemed to be a gift from the Father. And in seconds he was up on the stage again. . .if only for a few moments. . .the old Steven. His smiles had returned. He started joking around with the crowd. "God is God and I am not" was the first song he opened with after the rain, followed by all of his signature stuff like "The Great Adventure" and "Dive." And it all ended with "How Great is our God!" How appropriate it was.

What an honor it was to be there on that wet and cloudy evening in downtown Denver. What an honor it was for God to allow me to be a part of this story. I was only an observer. I was only one of the thousands. But for some reason, God decided to give me a bird's eye view into the heart of a family on that night - I heard the breaks in Steven's voice and and the notes that passed without a word being sung because he simply couldn't sing. And then I saw the sun pop out and the smiles return and the joy of life fill him up again. And it was a precious picture of what the Father does for us every day. We go through the valley and yet he promises to make all things new.

Steven, thanks for being determined in Denver.

Looking forward to the rest of my week!

What an Honor (Part 1)

Last weekend was a lot of fun for me. It's not very often that for two days in a row I get to fully play. But this last weekend I had 2 great days of fun and play and relaxation.

It started with a trip to the Nature and Science Museum for Emma's 9th birthday. On first glance, I know that does not sound like a ton of fun. You are imagining having to keep up with 20 wild and crazy kids in a public place, cake and presents and chaos. Though we've had many birthdays that looked a lot like that, this one was different. Emma is growing up. And this year all she wanted was to be with her best friend, Megan. No sisters, no other friends, no mound of gifts to open. . .just Megan. So that is what we did. I let her pick ANY place that she could imagine to go with Megan. And being the "eco friendly, green girls" that they are, together, they chose the Nature and Science Museum. Just 2 girls who never even disagreed for a second, and me. . . what an honor it was to watch Emma on that day. She truly is growing up. And it was a lot of fun!



Next came Sunday afternoon. It was gray and cloudy and everything about it screamed thunderstorm. But in the back of my mind I knew this. . .Steven Curtis Chapman was in town. Now for those of you who know me and who read my blog, you know that it would be the rare occasion of hospitalization or extreme disaster that would keep me away from one of his concerts. This time he was going to be at Coors Field (only 30 minutes away!) and perform after the Rockies vs Padres game. And all I had to do was get there before the game ended, purchase my $10 ticket and sit back and enjoy. That is exactly what I did. I arrived at the top of the 5th inning, found my seat, did the wave once or twice and sat back - not to watch the World Series team play, but believe it or not, to read a book. . . okay, that's my confession. I read a book at the Rockies game!!!

And 3 innings later, I packed everything up and began to move to the third base section of the lower level of Coors Field. Upon arrival to the field I got the inside scoop from the guy at the ticket counter as to where the best place to sit for the concert would be. So off I went - just me at Coors Field - on a mission to get the best seat in the house. BTW - The Rockies lost - I did at least notice the final score.

Now, I have been known for writing blogs that are way too long. . .so for now, this is where I will stop. But you absolutely HAVE to check back later today or tomorrow, because the best is yet to come. . ."What an Honor (Part 2) - the Concert."

Until then, what have you done for fun lately?

Steven Curtis Chapman Family on GMA this Morning

Global Art Inferno

Do you love art? I mean the real deal art. . .from famous artists and not the art you can buy at Target or TJ Maxx. Too expensive? My thoughts exactly. I have been to Vietnam and brought back quite a few knock offs of famous Vietnamese paintings. But I never imagined that I could ever own the real deal. . .But check this out!

A friend of mine, Ben Roberts, is starting this super cool organization called Global Art Inferno. . .Read on. . .it's really impressive and a terrific idea.

Global Art Inferno is bringing exclusive art to the nonexclusive customer. By forging partnerships with Vietnamese Artists Global Art Inferno is able to bring real talent to the American market for a fraction of the cost. We are not selling prints, we are selling original works of art that represent the vibrant color and style of contemporary Vietnamese paintings.

Global Art Inferno creates exclusivity in three very unique ways:

1. You must be a member of Global Art Inferno to purchase art.
2. Global Art Inferno only produces small run commissions of art, never over 500 paintings in any collection. Consumers can be assured that they are receiving something that very few people in the entire world have.
3. Global Art Inferno brings art to life by predestining its death. Every GLOBAL ART INFERNO painting has a life span of one year after it arrives in America. All art not purchased within that year is burned so that excess inventory does not stack up and sell at discounts.

Through this innovative model we are offering premium products that are sold at less than wholesale prices. Our mantra is art for all. We will change what it means to have access to art in the 21st century.

Here is the deal. We want this company to be completely consumer driven. We want our members to help make all business decisions. From the very beginning we will be committing 10% of our profits to the Non-Government Organization Glocal Ventures because of their work in the communities we will purchase the art from. To keep membership as the decision makers it is imperative that we raise capital in unique ways. By the middle of September you will be able to purchase unique t-shirts directly from www.globalartinferno.com. When we have reached 5,000 t-shirts sold we are ready to move forward.

Can I get an Amen for collective action?

Website: http://www.globalartinferno.org

BTW - Glocal Ventures is the global/local ministry arm of Northwood Church in Keller, TX, and the organization that we at Cool River go through when we send our people to Vietnam at least 2 times/year. I encourage you to check out the website above. . .even if you don't think you would enjoy Vietnamese art. . .even if you prefer your kids refrigerator art to the real deal. . .this is going to be a terrific organization to be a part of.

Monday Morning at the Colon Home

Like a typical morning in everybody's household that is full of kids, you can always hear cartoons in the background of the Colon home, too. My girls always participate in the morning ritual of watching cartoons while eating their breakfast. But this morning I just had to laugh. . .check it out. . .

Like most, we have more than one TV in our house.


The "Papa Bear" size


The "Mama Bear" size

And yet, this is the one they always choose. . . .


The "Baby Bear" one from my college days in the dorm.

Everyone looks happy and content - even the dog. It's kinda like buying toys for your kids. . .they have more fun with the cardboard box. Of all the tv's in our house, this little cardboard box version of a tv has received more love than all the others combined. My grandmother would be happy to know that her high school graduation gift to me has been put to such good use.

Home Again!!

The Colon Family is officially back in Colorado!!! We got home last night at about 10pm. My wonderful husband graciously let me sleep in this morning until 9am, so I feel a bit recovered. But as soon as my feet hit the floor, I have been running around like a wild woman. No matter how hard I try to get things in order before leaving home, it is always a chaotic time for a few days getting life back into routine again. Thanks to mom, at least I don't have piles of laundry staring me in the face. What a great gift she gave me in washing everything before we left.

Anyway, I just sat down a few minutes ago to update some photoblog pics as well as check my Google Reader. (FYI - the other photoblog pics are on the sidebar)There are hundreds of blog and news entries that I read on a daily basis that I have to go through tonight before bed. While reading through everything I found a nice surprise. . .an actual good picture of me that made it onto the world wide web. I snagged it off of Brandi Wilson's blog, so Brandi, thanks for letting me steal from you.

I snagged it for 2 reasons. . .1. I rarely take a good picture. Kevin is always telling me to open my eyes more. Believe it or not, the waitress at Rafferty's actually caught me at a good moment. So. . .that alone made it worth sharing. 2. I wanted to take time to send out some much deserved cudos to the couple in the picture with us. It's Pete and Brandi Wilson. A lot of you who read this already know who these exceptional people are. If not, you must add them to your own Google Reader, because they are some pretty cool friends doing some pretty amazing stuff in Nashville, TN. You can read both of their blogs and get a bit of our history. (Pete and Kevin - Brandi's story)

A long story made as short as possible is this - Brandi and I grew up in the same county in KY and went to school together. I almost said that we grew up in the same town, but she is a Fredonia girl and those Fredonia-ites would not be happy with my lumping the two towns of Princeton and Fredonia together as one. We both went on to Western KY University for college. Pete and Kevin were freshmen roomies at WKU. Pete and Brandi hooked up. Pete tried to set Kevin and I up somewhere along the way, but we were both almost always in a relationship with someone else. Kevin went to seminary and I was still in school. Brandi and Pete ended up getting married and through a series of events, Kevin and I went on our first official date to their wedding where Kevin was the best man. WHEW! Fast forward. . .Kevin and I married about a year later. Pete was Kevin's best man as well. We went our separate ways only for God to bring us back together again for a few great years in Morgantown, KY, where Pete started his first church (Morgantown Community Church). Fast forward more. . .God moved Kevin and I on after about 2 years and now we are in Colorado. Pete and Brandi are now in Nashville after starting a second rockin' church - Crosspoint Community Church.

All that being said - WE LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!! They are terrific people. They are the kind of people that you wish you could hang out with every Friday night. Thanks, Pete and Brandi, for crashing our date night and hanging out with us for a few hours this week. How I wish we could do it more often!!!!

What does the future hold for our friendship story? Well, Pete and Brandi just so happen to have three boys (Jett, Gage and Brewer). We have 3 girls. . .I personally think that the next chapter in the story should be entitled, "Reinstating the Tradition of Arranged Marriages." What do you think?

O yeah! Here's the picture. . .