Olivia is 3!

I am very sad to report that I failed to take any digital pictures of Olivia's party. Gran used her camera - the ancient kind with the film you actually have to develop!!(haha Mom) So all I can do is report that the "Curious George Party" was a success. The best part was that a three year old still does not care who is invited and how spectacular an event it might be. So, it was just a family party - sisters, parents, grandparents and gifts from other family in KY. And of course, Olivia had a blast. The hit of the party was a little metal shopping cart that she received. She has already pushed that thing for miles around our house.
Thanks, God, for the blessing of our little Olivia.

Old Pictures Just for Fun

Today I realized that I didn't have a picture of Kevin on my blog. So. . .I decided to look through the family picture archive. . . and look what I found! He's gonna love this!!! :-)

A Day in the Mountains with Gran and Pop

Back to Normal

Normal! What is that? It seems as if there have been only a few moments in my adult life that have seemed anywhere close to what someone might call "normal." But for now, at least our family is back together again. And even though reality has hit with the daily routine of laundry and errands, there is a certain comfort in knowing what to expect for today and tomorrow. Beyond tomorrow, who knows!?

Kevin is back from Vietnam. It was a hugely successful trip. You can read more about it on his blog that is linked on this page. Mom and Dad have come and gone. We had a great time! Dad taught Emma how to ride her bike without training wheels and attempted to teach me how to drive Kevin's Toyota that is a stick shift. Let's just say that he had much more success with Emma. We spent a day in the mountains and experienced one of the first days of the beautiful Colorado autumn season. And Mom and I successfully pulled off Olivia's third birthday party. It sounds as if I have many pictures to post. . .

So the summer is officially over for the Colon family. We have traveled more since April of this year than I ever planned. From Texas to Kentucky, New Mexico to Vietnam and Vietnam once again, we made it through. Truly, it was a blast! Our girls have been extremely flexible through it all. But as the cool weather begins, I find myself starting to get that cozy feeling that you can only really satisfy at home - looking out the window at the changing leaves and snow on the ground - drinking a good cup of coffee and reading a great book. I hope that the next few months look a little more like that in my home than the "exploded suitcase look" that we have become so fond of in past months.

Prayer Works!

Today was leaps and bounds better than the last two. Not only did we make it through, but we made it through well. It was Labor Day so the girls and I started the day at the parade in Louisville. Next, we were off to the mall to shop for tennis shoes. We ended the day with a playdate and dinner with friends. Yes, the girls were still grumpy. But I was so calm!!!!! Before I put my feet to the ground this morning I begged God to help me to be calm and gentle and quiet today. How about that - it worked!!
Thanks, God!

Emma is 7

Here are a few pictures that I forgot to post earlier. Emma's birthday was August 10.

Complaining

I have heard more complaining in the last 48 hours than a person should ever have to listen to in a lifetime! Seven year old, Emma, 4 1/2 year old, Claire, and 3 year old (this week), Olivia, have obviously teamed up on this "single mom." They have without a doubt, when I was not around, formed a conspiracy to bring as much havoc upon Mom's life as they possibly can by the time the days without Dad come to an end.

I am hoping and praying that I am not going bonkers. Surely others have experienced this feeling of despair and they just don't share it for fear of someone thinking them a terrible parent. Today I feel like a terrible parent. I know that is false. But today it feels very much like reality. I have never been a gentle, sweet, "Leave it to Beaver" kind of Mom. Though I have prayed for the ability to parent with such grace and quietness many times, it seems as if that prayer is not one to be answered. And that is okay. But good grief! What is a mom to do?!

There has been more crying and screaming today in this household by very loud, determined children than I care to share in full. Emma wants breakfast but can't seem to find anything that suits - so she pouts. She wants her hair blown straight for church instead of curly, so she cries. She does not want Qdoba for lunch, so she whines. Her sister took her spot in front of the TV, so she cries AND hits. It's bedtime and she is not tired, so she crosses her arms and with much indignation sits on her bed to COMPLAIN!

Claire wakes up and needs a hug. I hug her and she screams because I squeezed too tight. She can't find her shoes for church and she stomps her foot in anger. Olivia bumps into her and she pushes her out of the way. The snack bar that she insisted on getting at Safeway is "yucky" and she throws it on the ground. Her gown is too tight and her pillow is too soft. She goes to bed MAD.

Olivia just whines. She is such an easygoing kid that she really can't even come up with a reason to whine. It just seems like the thing to do, so she joins in. O yeah, and then Emma pulls her too hard while leading her through Safeway parking lot and makes her fall and get bloody knees. So then she CRIES! Mom chooses the Sesame Street Band-Aid instead of Strawberry Shortcake and her world falls apart.

This was a brif summary of my day.

But the house is quiet now - except for the sound of the dog that is crying to go ouside - guess I should take care of one last crisis before saying "goodnight."

You may laugh at my day as you read. That's fine. For anyone on the outside looking in, I'm sure it would have been quite humorous. But for this mom, I am EXHAUSTED! Emotionally I am ready to sell my kids to the circus. But it was just a day and this is just a short inconvenience of life when I stand back and look at the whole picture. Yes, there are many, many things about myself and the way that I fail to handle my children correctly that I need to work on very hard. I'm just glad that when night comes and they all look so sweet, sleeping in their beds, that I have the hope of another day and another chance tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll do better. Please, God, tomorrow let me be better. I know that when I am "better" - more on top of my game and less self centered- they respond likewise.

Goodnight.
(O, and please, God, don't let a mouse find its way into my room tonight. :-)

AAAHHH!

I have lived in Texas with their gigantic flying roaches. These roaches found their way into our old, little seminary housing apartment on a daily basis. And each morning I would make Kevin get up and go downstairs to kill and remove every last one before I would even consider placing my feet to the ground. But I have never (at least not to my knowledge) lived in a house with mice. Until now!

Yesterday morning I was working upstairs only to hear my youngest, Olivia, run screaming up the stairs from the basement. She was innocently on her way to her dress up box in search of her princess "cloppy shoes." But before she could get there she was obviously met by a new addition to our home - a small black mouse.

And when does this all have to happen? When Kevin is gone. You know, I traveled all the way around the world to Vietnam - a 3rd world country - a few weeks ago, and I never once saw a creature of any kind in my room. Now I am back to US suburbia and here they are - my new guests.

These mice are truly not welcomed guests at all. I am on a quest to rid us of them as soon as possible. I mean, someday I have to be able to send my children back into the basement to play. And at this point, they are not budging in that direction.

Last night I successfully caught 2. Today I decided to involve some backup, and my friend, Scott, is coming over to empty the traps that I am too much of a chicken to touch, and set new ones. The bottom line is that they must go - they must leave before they have babies in my basement!!!

Kevin has now been gone for 8 days. We are only halfway to the day of his return. What humor you have, God! Couldn't this invasion have happened at a better time!?

Friendship

I have never felt the need to fill my life with lots of friends. I know that it is biblical to "do life together." I know that community is important. But I have always been the kind of person that thrives much more on alone time than pouring my life into more relationship.

Now I don't mean this the way it may seem. I am not a recluse. I do have good friends whom I like to have coffee or spend the day with. We do share life together. We listen and encourage one another. We connect because we are at the same stage in life or maybe because we have similar interests. But these relationships have never been such that I feel as if I would cease to function without them.

Today I had a conversation with a friend that I know I would truly suffocate (for lack of a better word) without. You see, the really cool thing is that God knows me so well that he has graciously given me one or two very special "heart friends" to carry me through this life. This one particular friend does not live near me. I have the opportunity to see her about once a year. But we have phone conversations that mean the world to me. There is absolutely no one that "gets" me and my life like Nikki.

Now I know that Nikki would be embarassed to hear me say too many wonderful things about her. She would humbly remind me that she has many faults that she is yet to overcome. But that is the great thing about her, you see. She is real. She is ahead of me in the game of life and ministry and faith and parenting and marriage. Yet, she is always there to walk right beside of me. And she allows me to be her friend even though we are at different stages in life.

Some would say that she is my mentor. I would agree with that. But I would also like to believe that she is so much more. She is a gift that God has given to this young mom and pastor's wife who tends to shy away from intimate relationships. Some might also say that they would love to have lots of friends just like Nikki in their lives. I would not. I am thrilled and blessed to have just one.

God, thank you for knowing me so well that you created a relationship that perfectly suits the "me" that you made. Thanks for a person who is willing to pour into my life. Thanks for giving me someone to trust to speak Truth into my life. Thanks for a friend who is a joy to call mine.

I am amazed at how you knit life together, God. Even as I write this, Kevin is in Vietnam with Bob, Nikki's husband. How ironic that you have not only given me a friend but you have given Kevin and I a married couple to do life with. Kevin and Bob's relationship is a bit different. Life and purpose moves much faster for them and they don't have a lot of just "talk time" anymore. But of all the people that have crossed our paths as a couple, we will forever cherish these two probably above all. Without their influence on our lives and marriage and family we would not be who or where we are today.

Thanks so much!

FYI about Amy

Tonight I was thinking about this interesting fact about Amy that very few people know. Many people are clueless about this fact because it is more than likely quite irrelevent to anyone else but me. It is nothing earth shattering. Yet, as a young girl and even as an adult, this little known fact is possibly the marker in my life that helped to form me into the person that I am today.

You see the guy over there on the left? He's not an old boyfriend or a past youth pastor. He is not even a personal friend - though I have bought him dinner at Cracker Barrel before (long story). His name is Steven Curtis Chapman. "O yeah!," some of you might say. If you are a good church going teenager from the late 80's and 90's your mind might start singing to the tune of. . ."saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze. . .this is the great adventure." Or maybe you have wedding memories of the song, "I will be here when the laughter turns to crying. . . ." Maybe you are thinking right about now, "what the heck is she talking about??!!" Please forgive my rambling.

Some people were raised on U2, Cindy Lauper and Guns and Roses. Others of us were sheltered in the Christian Contemporary music world of 4 Him, Amy Grant, Rich Mullins and Steven Curtis Chapman. Maybe it was because I lived so close to Nashville as a kid and college student that I was drawn to these Christian artists (and country heroes as well, if you must know). Maybe it's because on my first day in youth choir with Wayne Causey he plopped a red and white book in front of me with this guys name on it and made us sing every song time and time again. But my best guess is that God had a plan even in the music that was to come out of a teenagers tape player or a youth choir's Sunday night special. It was a plan that would serve to change the heart of a young believer. It was a purpose to disciple a young girl who had never really had that awesome Sunday school teacher or mentor to guide her in the right direction.

I remember so many nights when I sat at the crossroads of life changing decisions and God allowed the word's of SCChapman's music fill my mind and my heart. Those words touch me even today. He has discipled me and taught me more about God and life and love and risk and stillness, the ride and the adventure of life, than absolutely anyone else. Or should I say that God has taught me those things through him.

And he's a guy who does not even know my name. Sure, I have met Steven Curtis Chapman before. I have been to numerous concerts. I have followed his life and watched as God has used him in so many ways. But he is just a guy. He is a voice once wound up in my tape player and now stored away neatly in my ipod. But that voice will always be such a sweet comfort over me and my life. I listen to his music and I discover myself again. I once found the "Amy" that God created me to be in the midst of his songs. It almost seems crazy, but it is there that I can find her every single time - even today.

Today I Bought Sweatshirts!

I am so excited that fall is just around the corner. It is as if my summer has been a chaotic blur and everything within me is ready to shut down and settle into the coziness of fall. I noticed the first maple tree beginning to turn it's beautiful shade of crimson today. The night's are coming sooner and the crispness in the air that I am beginning to feel is so refreshing. School has begun and routine is here once again. aaahhh. . .it feels like relief.

But will life truly slow down for the Colon family? I seriously doubt it. Isn't there always something? As I write, Kevin is on the other side of the world involved in a huge world event. The Vietnamese government is discussing freedom of religion for the first time ever as a communist country. I would be crazy to think that this event will not have it's effects on the future of our church and family - who have both committed to share God's love in Vietnam. In some sense that I can't even fathom right now, it is going to be huge. And in the hugeness, I have no doubt that our family will continue to move through unexpected waters and uncharted territory.

Cool River is growing numerically. With growth comes change and with change comes challenges and with challenges come personal growth and formation. Wouldn't it be nice to think that one day we might "arrive" at some destination and just be able to sit back and breathe, saying, "wow, this is it!" But that is not reality. Life is fluid and ever-changing because God is always waiting to take us to the next level of his plan and purpose. Cool River is at a crossroads. It's not slowing down anytime soon.

So in the middle of it all, what is my greatest challenge? My greatest challenge is living in the moment. I so want to breathe slowly and "smell the flowers" with my children. I want to savour and truly celebrate Claire's victories of breaking through her shyness. I want to laugh with Olivia as she comes running to me with her Curious George panties on her head. I want to sit with Emma and share with her about the simple wonders of God's creation. I want to relax in the backyard with Kevin and dream about the future and be thankful for the blessings. In the middle of the craziness that we call life, I want to make sure that I don't miss the most important things - smiles and laughter and hugs and tickles. I want to read a good book just because it's enjoyable and not because I'm trying to learn something. I want to take a drive into the mountains with no particular destination in mind - just to stop along the way and enjoy the view. I want to spend time with God when there is no agenda that needs to be discussed.

Such simple desires - yet they are so often difficult to attain in the middle of the chaos. Lord, it's not necessarily that I want life to slow down. It's extremely exciting to be on this road that you have placed me. I just pray that as life happens that it does not pass by so rapidly that I miss you and all of the important things throughout the journey.

Today I bought sweatshirts for my girls. I can't believe it is already time to think about fall and winter being just around the corner. Buying warm clothes is just one thing that I can do to prepare us for the next season. Please, God, continue to prepare my heart for the next season of life that is coming up as well. Whatever I need to do to get ready - beyond just hanging on tightly for the ride - please let me know.

Day One

Today was day 1 of 15 that Kevin will be gone to Vietnam. As I write, he is probably getting ready to land in Hanoi. Only a few weeks ago I was the one on the other side of the world and he was alone with our girls. Now the roles have reversed and I am a single mom for a time.

I have no idea how Mom's that have husbands who travel regularly do it. I know that there is a point where you get used to the fact that Dad is away. Life adapts. But I have no desire to ever make this separation a regular part of our family's life. Though. . .that may be just the direction that life is taking us.

A year ago I would have never imagined that both Kevin and myself would be traveling to Vietnam so much. Until now, it was only a dream, a desire. And because I never believed that these opportunities would present themselves so quickly, I think I failed to mentally prepare for it all. Family time has always been extremely important to us. Kevin is always around. His office is at home. Whether he is playing with the girls or on a work related phone call, his voice is always echoing through the walls. But today, it has been quiet.

Today there have been no garage door noises signaling Daddy's return home or cell phones ringing in the middle of dinner. And tonight there will be no snoring - okay, so maybe one good thing will come out of his absense. But in 15 days I have a feeling that even the snoring will be a welcomed sound. All of the sounds will mean one thing - that Kevin is here with us again. And life will once again be as it should.

Until then, God, be near Daddy. We already miss him.

Happy Birthday!

The end of year 30 is fast approaching. In 3 days I will officially be "30-something."But this year's birthday is not painful like last. Three hundred and sixty two days into it, I have decided that I am going to enjoy my 30's. Granted, a few wrikles are quietly beginning to appear. I have discovered a few dreaded gray hairs and calories seem to stick to my middle with less effort than before. But despite all of those things, the really cool part is that life has more meaning to it than ever before. All of a sudden I have a life - a life that is about more than sleepless nights and dirty diapers, studying for school, moving, or holding my breath to see if Cool River will make it off the ground.

As I stand on the doorstep and get ready to enter into the world of "30-something," I find myself breathing easier. I see a future of actually using the gifts and knowledge God has given to me. I see a glimpse of opportunities never experienced. I see an exciting life with children whom I get to show the world. I see a marriage that is nine years strong and growing. I am beginning to see the fruits and blessings of our labor in Colorado and Cool River. And the anticipation of what is yet to come is terrific.

As I bring a close to year 30 I can do nothing but praise God for all he has done and continues to do. I had no idea that life was going to bring me to this place. In only the last month I have had opportunities only dreamed of. I have shared my church planting wife story with people from both the Colorado state convention as well as a large, new church planting team from Boulder County. - Lord, I am so blessed to have a successful story to share. - I shared with my family a terrific time in Glorietta, NM. I watched Emma, Claire and Olivia become more independent little people and found such joy in the fun that they had. - Lord, thanks for a family beyond my hopes and dreams. - I traveled to the other side of the world just to love on the Vietnamese people. How can I ever view my life in the same way again? - Father, I'm amazed at how you can cause a heart to love a people that it barely even knows! - I have celebrated with Kevin 9 years of bumpy (at times), beautiful marriage and my oldest daughter, Emma, turned 7 years old and started 2nd grade. WOW! This was one month. And I get a sense that the best is yet to come.

Lord, I pray that the journey has just begun. Please lead me your way into this next year. You have been so good to me! I can't wait to see where this 30-something road leads.

Important Reminders

After living in a place for as long as we have now lived in Superior it becomes a bit difficult to remember that the rest of the world looks quite different. I don't mean different
in the sense that
I forget that we have mountains and others do not.
What I am referring to is the way life looks "spiritually" at my back doorstep and throughout the West versus the rest of America.

I grew up in the South. I suppose Kentucky is not the deep south, but spiritually it is still tightly buckled into the Bible Belt of our country. There is a church on every corner and the rarest find is someone who does not attend the local church on a regular basis. Are all these people believers? That is the million dollar question. "Church" is culture. And to some, their faith goes beyond the Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night service, but to many, true transformation has not come into their lives because it has been so easy just to "do church" and get by.

That is not a slam on Southerners. I'm talking about my roots. I love where I come from and the world in which I was raised. But it is not reality. The South is not anything like the rest of the world. Food is different. Hospitality is different. Church is different. Faith is different. Spirituality is different. Life is different.

Last week we had a group visit us from Georgia. Now that is the deep South!! And after their few days with us I was reminded once again of the drastic difference of the place in which I live. We are told that 90% of Northern Colorado is unchurched. It's not that they are "believers" that choose to spend their Sunday's wearing sandals, eating trail mix and worshipping our God under some aspen tree way up in the mountains instead of attending the local church. I mean 90% of the people at my back doorstep do not believe in Jesus Christ. Are they spiritual? Absolutely! They are happy to take a little Hinduism and a little Buddhism, a little New Age, a little "me-ism" and bits and pieces of their own deep ponderings to create their own "truth" in which to live and believe. But to follow Jesus Christ - now that is too ludicrious to accept. To many, God's grace is too easy. The stories of the Bible are too ridiculous. And to accept Jesus as THE ONLY Truth is almost a sign of weakness - giving up to what their own mind can not comprehend.

So what does all of this mean to me? First of all, I must say that I LOVE where I live. I love the people that I meet every day. From someone who has lived within 2 extremes of faith societies, I must admit that I would choose to live with the "lost" every time. Now that might sound crazy to you. It feels a little bit strange to even say. But there is a realness here that I have never encountered anywhere else. When you sit across the table from someone at Starbucks there is no fascade. They respect me for who I am and what I believe. And they are an open book as to who they are and what their life is all about. There are no guessing games. There are no fake smiles. There are no expectations that they feel they have to live up to because of tradition and culture. They are real.

And in their realness they are seeking. They are seeking fulfillment and peace and answers to difficult life questions. They run around in circles searching for spiritual fulfillment and wondering why life continues to fail to work. Many are highly intelligent - thinkers, scientists. They have no background in the Christian faith and no necessity felt to go there. Some desire to know more about this Jesus that we follow. Some do not.

This is the great challenge. This is why we stay. This is why we do Cool River Church. This is why we invite friends into our home. This is why we accept the struggle. This is why we live miles away from our family. This is the life and the place that God has called us. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I long for the day that Superior, Colorado, becomes a transformed place full of transformed lives and families living for Jesus Christ. Will that day ever come? I have to believe that it will. But who knows what God has up his sleeve and in store for this place. Still, I will continue to love it no matter what. I am at home here. Though memories and thoughts of my Southern home warm my heart, I am at home. Thank you, God, for your gentle reminders. Thank you for preparing me in such a way throughout this journey that I can love this place. Thank you for the relationships that you have allowed me while here. Thanks for it all.

My back doorstep sits in an American town of 14,000 people and there is not one standing church building of any faith. The rarest find is anyone who attends church on a regular basis. But God is here. And God is never leaving Superior, Colorado. He's up to something. You just wait and see. And I hope that I am home to see it happen.

Simple Complexity

Today was a day of extremes. After dinner tonight Kevin and I took the girls for a walk around Interlocken (the tech center near us). We happened upon a beautiful tennis court and softball field and decided to take a closer look. The night was perfect - probably 68 degrees or so, still and quiet. It was the kind of night that you wish would never come to an end.

As we got closer to the tennis courts we noticed that there were old tennis balls everywhere. Very quickly Emma, Claire and Olivia, found themselves in a kid's paradise. There were balls and space to run and play and a mom and dad to chase every ball that they attempted to toss our way. We played in those tennis courts for at least a half an hour, just running and throwing balls and giggling with our girls. An old worn out tennis ball became a great treasure for each of them as we left.

After a few more minutes of running the bases of the softball field and taking a plunge into the water sprinklers, we started back to the van. I was amazed at how every clover and pine cone along the way back became a treasure worth smelling and touching and savoring. I love how children are such experts at making the often unnoticed as exciting as Disneyland or a birthday party.

Soaked, with flowers in their hair, pine cones in their pockets and old worn out tennis balls in their hands, the girls climbed back into their carseats. What started out as a walk with the sole purpose of getting them tired and ready to go to sleep, turned into a grand adventure. Simplicity. . .

-------------------------------------------------------
Rewinding my day back to this morning. . .

I have this acquaintance. He is brilliant. He's far too brilliant for me. I have always kept my distance because I am far from brilliant. My thinking and my understanding of God is very simple - almost childlike. Most days I am thrilled to have a childlike faith in God. It has served me well. It has allowed me to accept many things about Him that seem ridiculous to the "brilliant."

Now don't get me wrong, I like to think that I understand a bit about God. My understanding comes from relationship and experience, though - not from facts and statistics and things that must be "proven." But today I found myself wishing for more answers to give. It was SO frustrating! It was far from simple - hugely complex.

You see, I have been concerned for and praying for my brilliant acquaintance for quite some time. Yet, I have always kept my distance for quite a few reasons. But today (thanks a lot, God) I had to speak up. Today the random conversation that I found myself a part of hit my heart in a way that I simply knew that God was prompting me to open my mouth.

I will spare the details. Let's just say that all I wanted to do was make one statement very clear to him. His generalization of Christians versus those of other faiths was completley wrong, and I wanted to lovingly let him know that all Christians are not the same. I wanted him to know that I would obey God in the same way as the man from another faith, but for different reasons. I hoped to then walk away and pat myself on the back for speaking what God wanted me to speak. But it did not happen quite that way.

After about 15 minutes of conversation I "learned" that the grass is God and the trees are God and that he is God and that God is Life. I "learned" that God is a woman and that to believe the stories of the Bible 100% makes me disillusioned. Of course, I did my share of debating back and forth. I did not leave the conversation feeling defeated. I did leave the conversation mad - MAD at Satan for feeding lies to the vulnerable - MAD at myself for not having better answers to fire back - MAD for even wanting to fire back at all. And deeply and undeniably saddened for my brilliant acquaintance - Sad that there are so many more like him.

You see, I'm not sure why God chooses to set some people on a certain path and others on another drastically different path. I'm not sure why I have a simple faith and others are too complex to even declare faith. I'm not sure why I can sense God's promptings and "hear" his voice (sometimes) and others are deaf. I'm not sure why others question more and I can so easily accept.

I am sure that many would agree with my brilliant acquaintance in saying that I am disillusioned. That's fine. I really don't mind that someone might think that of me. My final thought on today as it comes to an end. . .at least I can lay down tonight in peace. For as simple as my mind might be, at least it can find rest.

I don't have all the answers, nor do I want them. But I do have a peace that transcends everything that life throws my way. God is my creator. God is my Father. God is my friend. He is not a blade of grass that I can mow down or an ant that I might squish. He is a perfect being that loves me and leads me and allows me the experience of faith and love and security and eternal life. He, through Jesus, is the ONLY way to heaven. He is the one who pursues and prompts. And I pray that he will continue to do that with my brilliant acquaintance.

Father's Day

I am really bad about sending cards and gifts for holidays. The only holiday that I seem to be able to do well with is Christmas and that is because the stores and television start reminding us to begin shopping in October. So once again, today, another holiday has come that I have missed.

I don't do this intentionally. I'm simply my mother's daughter.haha From her I received the gene of procrastination. The difference is that somehow Mom eventually pulls off whatever she plans to do at just the last minute, and she does it in such a way that it looks like she has been planning for months. I have not perfected this yet.

So to my dad. . .please know that I love you very much! And know that you have been thought of today and every other day more than you know - card in the mail or no card. If I were not so far away I would run to Cracker Barrel and buy you a gift certificate or to Walmart and buy a container of worms so you could go fishing in the morning.haha But I doubt those gifts would mean very much more than the reassurance that you were not forgotten.

Instead, I will take time to write. I hope that you know how very lucky I consider myself to be your daughter. Today at church I looked around to see so many wives and mothers sitting alone. Though I sat alone with them, I was one of the lucky ones. Many of them have sad stories of horrible childhoods, divorce and broken marriages. The father void in their life can only be filled by THE Father himself. Instead, I have been blessed with an earthly father who has loved me and been there for me, supported me and encouraged me for my entire life. Even when decisions that I have made were not the decisions that you would have wished for me, you have never given me a hard time about them. You have allowed me to live my life and follow God my own way. And the fact that you are only a phone call away in the middle of it all means more than you know.

So today I thank you. Thank you for teaching me to ride a bike. Thanks for taking me to basketball practice as a little girl so that I could be a part of your life and see what you were all about. Thank you for sweating it out on the driveway in an attempt to teach me to play basketball even though I was always pretty terrible. Thanks for watching tennis matches that drug on for hours and for putting up with boyfriends that drove you crazy. Thanks for modeling for me how a husband is supposed to always love and stay together with his wife. Thanks for loving your grandchildren and teaching them many of the things that you taught me as a child.

Though being so far away from you and Mom is very difficult some days - especially on those days when you are dropping me off once again at the airport - you will forever remain close to my heart. Every time the gas tank gets down to the red, I think of you. Every time something in our house breaks, I think of you. Every time UK and Louisville play basketball, I think of you (and cheer all the louder for UK!!haha). Every time I hear another story of how a teenage girl has been impacted by her basketball coach at Dawson, I am proud of you.

Mom, I think we are both pretty lucky. Happy Father's Day, Dad!!!!

Daddy Dates

One of the things that our girls love the best is getting to go on a date with Daddy. They never know when to expect it. It's not like something that they get to request or plan . It just happens when they least expect it. Today it just happened.

Kevin was taking the day off. We had not made any family plans. And all of a sudden I hear him asking Emma if she wanted to go on a date. Her eyes lit up. "Yes, Daddy!" They quickly planned for lunch. And as Emma ran to her room to get dressed, Claire was the next to be invited. It was a bit more difficult with her. Though she was thrilled to get to go on her special date, she was not the least bit happy that she would be second instead of first.

After that was resolved and all was well, hair was getting brushed and braided and pretty clothes were being chosen, Olivia caught wind of the plan. Needless to say, when dates came to an end Kevin had eaten 3 lunches, been to the toy store twice and trekked through the local mall.

What a wonderful blessing it is to have a husband who not only wants to date his wife (as we do every Tuesday night) but also makes it a priority to date his daughters. I pray that those dates will be memories that will forever be special in our girls' hearts. I love it that they have the opportunity to see their parents making it a priority to spend alone time together. I hope they will also know how much Daddy values being with them.

Happy Father's Day, Kevin!

Drama

Have you ever known someone who seems to thrive on there being drama in their life? Life is never boring when that person is around and when life is simply going along normally they can't seem to function - so they create more drama.

I have never been the drama queen. I have always considered myself quite the opposite. When the drama of life happens I tend to downplay it as much as possible. I get completely annoyed with those who always seem as if their world is about to crumble around them all of the time. As you might guess, I score very low on the mercy end of spiritual gifts inventories that I have taken. :-) It takes a lot to shake me.

But lately I have noticed this - all of a sudden, as true drama has entered my life once again, I realize that I have missed it. I want to embrace the struggles and the unanswered questions because what I have learned is that in my life this means that God is at work. It means that he is up to something and he is preparing the way to show his power once again.

You know, God has done this to Kevin and I many times. He presents a "crisis of belief" in front of us. He shakes the waters a little and then "voila!" He does his thing in a huge way once more.

Between church and family there are quite a few little dramas happening in our lives today. And instead of becoming too "dramatic" I really just want to savor them. I love it when God is up to something that is bigger than I can fathom. I love the way he works things out. I love to look back and be able to praise him even in the drama. When it is created by God, drama is excellent.

People Keep Telling Me. . .

AAAHHHH! People keep telling me to write a book! An email that I received today was the fifth time that has been told to me in the last week. I just don't know. . . I do want to do it. I just can't imagine who would ever want to read it. I can't imagine where I would find the time to do it. Yet, I think I want to try. I'm feeling more and more led to share my church planting story. Is this your way of letting me know how to satisfy that discontent that I have been feeling, God? How will I ever find enough quiet time to even begin? If I tell you that I will do it, Lord, will you show me how?

Colorado Girls

Friday we spent the day hiking at Mt. Evans.

Fun family times.