Peace to all our family and friends.  This has been an eventful 2010 for all of us. Brent is in his last term of classes at Bethel Seminary and will graduate with a masters of divinity in June.  Kari is in her 12th year of teaching and is back with the kindergarten kids again, where there is never a dull moment.  The kids have had fabulous starts to their school years. Kristyn is in 5th grade with a very “cool” teacher and she plays piano, flute,  and dances and plays bball, Brady is enjoying 2nd grade and does Taekwondo and will start b-ball in January, and Emersyn is loving every minute of Kindergarten.  She also dances like big sis.  Last spring, we took the trip of a lifetime to Disney World.  We drove the 22 hours (stopping in Nashville) and loved every minute of it.  It was truly magical!  We did all the parks and will someday return. (Kari finally got to see Mickey!!)We were also able to stay with friends and go to the ocean for a day before heading back.  Ashley, Kari’s sister, got engaged to a wonderful man named Matt Sanders.  We are so excited for their upcoming nuptials this summer, and are thrilled that Brent will officiate their wedding.  We took an amazing family trip to Colorado this summer as well. We did lots of  and relaxing in the mountains.  After many months of praying and wondering what to do, we decided to move to a new home.  Needing more space, we listed and sold our old house in 16 days and moved into the new one within 1 month.  We moved over Thanksgiving and are so enjoying being in our warm and cozy place for Christmas. We also made it more exciting and got a new chocolate lab puppy, Evangeline Joy(Evie), so she could help liven up Bria.  The craziness continues... We hope you all have a wonderful and safe 2011. We have been truly blessed this year. 

Dog!!!!

So we have this dog.  Evie.  I have spoken about her before.  I had no idea the wealth of material this brown animal would give me.  Today -- come home; in her crate for 4 hours.  She had dumped; smelled up the WHOLE basement.  Un-freakin-real.  She is such a good dog; she also does crazy stuff like this out of the blue.  Today, I honestly was thinking about how we would give her away.  I love her, but this dog has been more work and stress than I can begin to explain.  She has been the source of a much needed butt kick prayer-wise, but I did not anticipate she'd be the REASON I am praying so much.  Ugh.

New House, New Beginnings

So much has happened since we last spoke!  New dog, new school year, new house, new van, new beginnings!  I really ought to update more...here are a few highlights!

- new dog -- Evangeline Joy (Evie, Miss Eve, E, Skeevers, Damn Dog, Little S**t...) has joined the team.  At moments the best thing going, sometimes a mistake...this little brown (now at 26 lbs and counting) dog has blessed our family, including Bria.  5:30 am walks, chewing, and lots of cuddling.  She really likes her people, though.

- school -- kids are well!  Emy in kindergarten, BW in 2nd, Kristyn in 5th.  Might be their best year ever!  Kari has some challenging kids, and she goes in each day loving them and seeing them like Jesus.  Pretty amazing.

- house -- we moved!  Last week.  Great new place, feels like home.  Pics will come sometime...

More to come; just have to get to work.  Here are some assorted highlights:

Home.

We left a week ago.  Amazing.  Here it feels like we never left!  The mountains seem so distant, and yet I can almost hear the pines whisper and feel the cool mountain air on my face.  We bombed home from Estes Park yesterday, leaving almost exactly 24 hours ago.  The kids are road warriors; they traveled so well.  11 hours drive time from Coffee on the Rocks to our front door.  That is worth it to make the trip at least once a year.  The best thing is the memories, and there are a ton!  For now, a final picture...

Day 6, I think?

Occurred to me today that I'm not entirely sure what day of the week it is, let alone what the number of the day is!  Turns out our anniversary is on Sunday...would not have forgotten, but in the midst of vacation, dates tend to slip in light of having so much fun!  Up early today to study a bit before the crew was up; a great breakfast at the Y, and then a short hike into Glacier Basin along Glacier Creek.  Making it a short hike today was a good move, and the kids were ready to be done with dirt by 10 am.  We ended up cutting it short and spending a few hours doing crafts at the Y instead.  This afternoon we spent a few hours downtown shopping in Estes Park; stopped for a celebratory beverage at the EP Brewery, and then back to the Y for dinner (steak, salmon, chicken!).  We loaded up and drove up to Sprague Lake to fish a bit and watch the sun set; turns out there has been a young bull moose at the lake the past 4 nights; unfortunately, he did not make an appearance while we were there!  But, it is SUPER exciting that they are starting to see more and more moose on the Estes Park side of RMNP!  I'm whipped; cannot imagine how tired the rest of the family must truly be; but we have had one of the best vacations in our lives!  The kids were trying to talk us into staying another night, and even packing up and moving out here...twist my arm, I suppose...but as I type, my thoughts drift to home, my own house, our bed, our friends and family, and our dog who we miss like crazy!  The truck is mostly loaded, and after an early breakfast and maybe a quick stop at Coffee on the Rocks, we'll be headed east!  Seems like SO long since we left, and this time next week it will seem like the cool mountain air was a lifetime ago.  Here are a few pics from yesterday and from today; we'll see you all soon!  Thanks for coming on vacation with us...

Moose cow and calf near Grand Lake

At Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road

Family Christmas Card?

Alpine tundra

Resident at the YMCA!

The summit of Bible Point

Sprague Lake

Beautiful end to a beautiful day

Happy @ the Alluvial Fan

Day 5: Up and over

We were up and out by 8:30 am this morning, saying goodbye to Summit County and all the fun and high mountain fun we had in Frisco!  The sky was bluebird and the air cold; we had an enjoyable drive over the Divide and again over Berthoud Pass, through Winter Park and Grand Lake, finally, into Rocky Mountain National Park.  We had no more than driven past the sign for the park than Kari and I both spotted what appeared to be a moose off the road in the willows.  Sure enough, there was a cow and a calf munching away on the underbrush, quite a way off the road but very obvious.  Not a bad start!  We spent a few moments photoing, and then headed off further in.  A small herd of elk and 10 minutes up the road, a bunch of cars pulled off indicated something else of interest.  it was another mama and calf moose, eating along the stream.  We stayed a bit, and got to see both up close as they came up out of the river and crossed the road 75 yards to the south of us!  They are not small animals...We continued up Trail Ridge Road, making the Alpine Visitor Center and the top of the world in time for a rainstorm.  We ate a picnic at the gift shop, wasted some time, and continued on.  A short hike at Rock Cut, more elk, and finally to the YMCA camp in Estes Park.  So great to be back here...such a peaceful place!  We checked in, threw some water in a pack, and headed up Bible Point, a short hike that leads up to a spot where there is a cross and mailbox for prayers.  We met a guy from Des Moines at the summit (big shock; we've met more Iowans than Coloradans out here!), and then boogied on down ahead of more rain.  A great meal at the camp, and we headed up to the Alluvial Fan for some rock hopping and pictures.  Then, Moraine Park to end the night with another herd of 40+ elk, mostly cows and calves.  Pretty great day of wildlife and scenery!  We have had some great prayers as a family; we were pretty wrung out by tonight, and the kids literally passed out once put to bed.  We are planning an 'easier' day tomorrow; eyeballing Lily Mountain, which would be an easy summit for us, or maybe some lakes and waterfalls that would make for a nice morning.  The kids have been amazing, and I can honestly say this is the most relaxed I've been in some time! Can't wait to sleep and get after it tomorrow...hoping for one more blessed Colorado clear air blue sky day!

Day 4 Rain, McCullogh Gulch, and Breckenridge time

Brent woke up and went for a run as usual and when he returned, it started raining. Not how we wanted to start our last big hiking day in Breckenridge.  We ate breakfast and decided to head out and decided we could always shop the downtown area and hike later. We arrived in Breckenridge to sunny skies so we drove out of town to head to the trail head (right next to Quandary Peak) of McCullogh Gulch.  We drove up and through this windy road with a drop off on the side all the way down the mountain. We loaded up the backpacks and camelbaks and were off on a journey we heard was the hike to do, if it was " the only hike you ever did in Summit County."  There was a reason for that- it was a breaktaking hike from the moment we started up the trail.  Huge boulders to climb on all around and wildflowers galore.  The path was very steep and ended up being VERY muddy as well.  We hiked past an old mining town that was just ruins and up and up the boulders and roots and rocks!!! Amazing.  The kids were troopers even though Emy fell 100 times and Brady slipped and slid all over as his body was a tad out of control (surprise surprise). We hiked for an hour or so and made it to the Falls- I was in awe and speechless. Actually teared up at God's amazing creation and might in the powerful falls that went down in 2 huge falls down the mountain side- We sat and watched and had a snack and rested as it was a pretty strenuous hike- We started back and got to the trail sign again that pointed UP again. We talked with two ladies who said it was totally worth it to hike to The Lake- I was all for it while kids were not, but  we talked them into it as it wasn't supposed to be too far up- it was a ways and STRAIGHT up again. I finally walked up the last part while Brent and kids waited down a ways and I made it to the lake- oh my!! There was snow still up there- almost 12,000 feet. I turned around and there was Brady. I told him to walk through the last boulder field and he was like , "this was SOOOO worth it." It was his favorite part of the day- Brent and girls made it up then and we put our feet in ICY cold lake water for a few minutes until we heard the rumbles of thunder. We started back down slipping and sliding a bit but made it down with only sprinkles for the last 5 min. The most break-taking hike we have done!!!! God is good! Pure joy! Then to the town for lunch at Downstairs at Eric's and shopping a bit in the rain.  Cold. 52 degrees. Back to the condo where the hot tub was just what the Dr ordered on our tired legs.  A short bit of fly-fishing in Silverthorne. Supper of leftovers at the condo and teaching kids to play poker was a night to remember! Joy, but rest is now!!!

Day 3: Mt. Royal, Rainbow Lake, and points therein

Planned to hike to Rainbow Lake, an easy hike to a small lake above Frisco this morning.  We followed the directions I found on Backpacker.com; started at the Mt. Royal trailhead and went up the hill.  And up.  And more up.  They were not kidding when they said that this trail was steep; we hiked a mile or so to Masontown, an old mining ruin that had been leveled by an avalanche.  We went a bit further up, were told that we needed to go back down to Rainbow Lake, and ended up walking another 45 min until, low and behold, the lake appeared through the trees!  Kari's directional sense saved the day on this one!  Great views, a beautiful lake, and the kids all did great today.  We did lunch on the banks of the Blue River in Silverthorne, shopped a bit, grabbed some ice cream and coffee at Abbey's in Frisco, and then home for chicken and noodles at the condo.  The sun was out, so we went down to the reservoir to fish and play before sundown; the rain moved back in at dusk with some great lightening!  Kristyn and I fished a bit, the kids and Kari played at the park.  Another lovely day here in Colorado!  Emy prayed that we would have a great day and that Jesus would keep the rain away while we were hiking; the forecast was for rain around Noon, and we didn't see a drop until we were done for the day.  Pretty dang amazing. Here are some pics:

Mt. Royal trailhead

Mt. Royal

Rainbow Lake...finally!

The Intrepid Adventurers

Lunch on the Blue River

Abbey's Coffee and our Pop Star

End of the night with storms moving in

Day 2: Paxton, Golden, and Frisco

We had a CRAZY storm roll through Paxton last night; I was dozing and Kari was online, and sometime around 11:00 the lightening that had been flashing to the west for a few hours moved over us.  An hour later and lots of wind and rain being blown through the cracks in the room door...Oh my!  We woke up to partly cloudy and humid.  On the road by 8:15, in Golden by 11:30.  We ate our lunch down by Clear Creek as it runs through town, walked along the banks a bit, then to the Coors Brewery! 

The kids were asking to go, I swear!!  It was impressive as always, and Kari REALLY tried to like beer but couldn't quite make it to the bottom of her Blue Moon.  After Coors, we went to a place called Heritage Park, home to a crazy human maze and the longest Alpine Slide in Colorado.  Super fun!  We also did an Old West Saloon photo; Brady and I were outlaws, and the girls, well...the kind of girls that an outlaw might like!  Too much fun!  After all this, it was up and over the Divide to Frisco; we drove in rain and have had rain all evening.  Hoping for a clear day (at least part) to hike tomorrow morning and enjoy the beauty of this place.  We all smile when we see the mountains and are so thankful that God has given them to us to remind us of His presence and goodness...here are a few more pics from our day today!

from the top of the Heritage Hill slide

Bitter Beer? 

Here we go!

Up (and down) to Frisco

Day 1 Aug 1, 2010 Des Moines to Paxton, NE

Joy!

Spoke at Zion this morning, think it went well!  Romans 8:1-2…all about choosing to live free from condemnation and living with JOY – looking for it around us all the time.  Kari drove the first 4 hours, I studied and snoozed after the early morning.  I took over in Grand Island, and we rolled into Paxton around 5:30 MTN time.  We checked into the Day’s Inn (a bit sketchy, but it will suffice) and then over to Ole’s Big Game Steakhouse for dinner.  The Chili Mac Burger was outstanding…we ate like we’d never seen food before!  Then back for showers, some TV, and rest.  Funny thing – the word for the week is joy – we are looking for it all around us on this trip.  Brady, as we sat down at our table at Ole’s, noticed the word JOY written in the Polar Bear table marker.  I guess He is moving around us to bring us into a deeper awareness of Him, His working, and the joy available to us!

Hiatus

We head north to Okoboji this afternoon.  Good to see the fam and hang on the lake (maybe) tomorrow with the kids.  Funny how somewhere that used to be (and I suppose still kind of is...) home is now also a super fun get away spot!  I love Okoboji in the summer...might even tuck the kiddos into bed and head up to the Park tonight for a coffee and stroll with Kari. 

Have not been writing much of late; hoping that tide will turn here again...we shall see.

Summer rules.  Kids out of school.  Sun.  Warm.  Green.  Blue skies.  If only I could get up early and ride or run and enjoy...again, maybe the tide will turn?

A week out and a lifetime ago...

We got to laughing last night about the fact that every time we come home from vacation, I always pull the 'I wish we were..' card.  Home is great, laundry is finally done and needing putting away, and we are starting to recover from the pace of Disney and the epic travelling there and back.  Now, we see pics and hear about Disney and wish we were back in Florida.  I guess that is the sign of a great experience, eh?  That you cannot wait to go back and wish in weak moments you were back there....this time last week we were drinking coffee in Magnell's kitchen, preparing to go to the ocean.  The screensaver on my computer is the pic posted; one of my faves from the trip.  For now, the ocean captures my imagination.  Soon, it will be the Rockies of Estes Park.  In all honesty, though, the sunsets of Iowa are where it is at for us.  The others are places to visit and cherish; here is home.  That is enough for me!

Some thoughts:

Best drive -- tie between the 'loop' Chris and MaryAnn have that goes thru a crazy swamp and along the ocean front.  We turned a corner, and were in swamp.  Another corner, there is the ocean whipped to a frenzy.  Jaw dropping.  The second first place was the interstate south of Chattanooga, TN into Georgia, up and over Signal Mountain.  Pretty cool, even in the rain.

Best food -- grilled burgers @ Magnells; fish and chips and battered burger at Raglan Road (with a cold Smithwicks!); spicy Bloody Mary at the pool bar

Best ride -- safari @ Animal Kingdom -- wicked cool.  Kari liked Expedition Everest; the kids Space Mountain; Emy, the whole adventure.

Best thing about Port Orleans Riverside -- all of it?  The smell of our room...so fresh so clean!  Did not once smell like a hotel room.

Best reason to go back -- the whole experience was so much more than I expected; I honestly am wondering how to spring for a trip next year (for sure in 2 years!).  Disney, hats off.  You got me hooked!

Tomorrow -- the 'worsts'...

The Longest Drive

Holy hell.  So in hopes of spending the afternoon in St. Louis and having a short drive on Saturday, instead of 3 am we decided to load up the team and head out last night at 9:30 -- long and short of it, leaving mid-night means the adults get little quality sleep and the kids wake up early.  Instead, we said our goodbyes, loaded up and rolled out towards Jacksonville.  We hit one of the local gas station/trinket shop/fruit stands for some thick coffee and away we went.  Kids sleeping around 10, Kari dozing, me listening to Greek vocab and putting the hammer down.  And then...

Somewhere around Tallahassee, the Seminole Nat'l Forest surrounded I-10.  The trees formed a type of tunnel it appeared; my eyes focused on the glowing lane markers and after a bit it felt like we were on some crazy ride to God knows where marked only by glowing dots in the distance. We did witness a shooting star, which was super cool; the road turned north after Tallahassee towards Alabama (our choice to avoid Atlanta's traffic in the early morning) and turned into something even more disconcerting.  The GPS had a tendancy to get us where we were going, albeit by somewhat non-traditional, well marked routes; we ended up on a one lane county blacktop somewhere in Florida's panhandle with the only other living creatures being police men (out in force) and deer (also out in force -- on the stretch between I-10 and I-65 in Montgomery, if we saw 1 we saw 50 RIGHT ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD).  It was during this stretch, sometime around 1:30 am, that Jesus and I got serious about our chats regarding safety and deer staying off the road; He was good to keep both requests.  Big surprise, eh?  Needless to say in future trips, flight is preferred; if we drive, I-75 thru Atlanta and the billboards of Georgia will be the route of choice.  We did however see Montgomery around 4 am and both thought of Martin Luther King Jr...pretty amazing to be in places where such pivotal moments in history took place.

Kari took the wheel around this time, she took it from my hands, cuz I couldn't do it on my own...I snoozed until Birmingham when the skyline and Kari's thumpin' hip hop woke me up momentarily; the kids got up around 6 am Central after sleeping a solid 9 hours in the van without waking up.  We hit a McDonald's in Alabama for more coffee and breakfast, and kept on rolling.  Nashville in the early morn, Kentucky and Illinois, and finally arrived in St. Louis around 1:30 pm.  18 hours of road time, a freakin' lot of miles, two whipped adults and 3 squirreled out kids are now residing in the Ramada airport edition for the night.  Snow in the DSM, 70 here in Missouri; we'll see what tomorrow brings.  What a road trip this has been.  In the morning, we take off for home, we hope; at last report, Kansas City and St. Louis were under Winter Storm Warnings...unreal.  So many good memories, so much more to report!  Not tonight, though.  Time to rest.

Until tomorrow...

Palm Coast and Points Beyond

So we finally regain access to the internet last night; cleaned up some emails and reconnected a bit...funny how relaxing it was to NOT be able to check email and stuff...Twitter kept y'all updated and the lack of access kept me focused on re-creation rather than working remotely.  Not sure how that will impact the Greek quiz I have to take to get into my class, but...I'm an adult learner; I make choices. 

So the Disney experience was spectacular; too many highlights for a tired mind right now.  I'll be posting pics all next week and 'recapping' the trip for our fam (and any of you who choose to read...)  The Mouse was way cooler than I could have imagined and I cannot wait to come back in a few years. 

Today we went on a drive up A1A along the ocean; huge waves and great lunch at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach...then on Matanzas (sp?) Beach for some sand and surf (a little sun, too), then up to St. Augustine with the Magnell family.  They showed us around the Castillo, a 1500's era fortress that guards the inlet to St. Augustine proper...Emy, Kristyn, Brady, and Wesley stowed the guns, fired the cannons, and waged war on the pirates in the harbor; Kari got to see her dolphins (didn't get to swim with them -- next time when it is warmer); we had a great coffee drink on the crazy old streets in St. A; the kids lit candles at the little Greek Orthodox chapel for Haiti, Chile, and for Mommy and Daddy; and now we are packing up and resting in preps for the journey north starting at 3 am Eastern time...gotta throw together a playlist for my amusement and alertness!

Our stay with the Magnells has been just what we needed -- super relaxed last night with beverages and conversation until way too late, an early morning run along the beach, lots of laughs and homecooked meals.  They have so gracious to us, especially having moved in a few days ago into their new home...we love these guys and are SO thankful for our time with them as we begin the decompress from Disney and re-entry preparations for home.  So it is on the road, hoping for St. Louis or somewhere south by tomorrow afternoon or evening.  Coffee will be my companion, as will Greek vocab and rockin' (softly mind you) tunes through the night tonight.  I gotta say I am not ready to come home -- I like vacation too much; in fact, I still get a touch verclempt thinking about leaving Port Orleans yesterday...Disney declares, "Welcome home!" as you arrive each night via bus to your hotel after the day at the park -- it truly felt like home...great thing is, I know we can go back and will.  Even better, I know HOME is waiting, calling us northward; I am as excited tonight to be there as I was to arrive in Orlando last Friday. 

Pray us safe; think of us as we go; cannot wait to see you all soon!

Until tomorrow...

A day for the books

Good evening from muggy Orlando!  We made it, finally...

Nashville this morning had thunderstorms and rain; little did we know that this would be the order for today.  We drove from Nashville until the Georgia border (south!) in rain that was persistent and at times biblical in nature.  Not sure I've ever driven in rain like that...and by the time we hit Florida, the sun was out (and I told Kari there better be magic on every corner after the day we put in)  We stopped at a few gas stations for breaks and refueling; Kari experienced the worst women's restroom in history outside Macon, GA.  We blew thru Atlanta, and really made ok time; it just is a freakin' long way here!  We arrived at the Port Orleans Riverside at 8 pm, just like our trusty GPS companion said we would.  This is a very cool, bayou themed place...excited to see it in the daylight.  The van ran great; the kids travelled even better today, and all things considered it was pretty stellar.  Tomorrow it is Hollywood Studios and some downtime...

Until then...

Disney family Epic, Day 1

11 March

3:30 am...alarm goes off at 3; water running thru the basement, up under the stairs, steady rain and upper 30's.  Drove in rain until south of Iowa City...6:00 am the kids wake up.  Sunrise was beautiful and 50's greeted the family near the IA/Missouri border.  Hannibal was breakfast and driver switch, and Kari drove us through brilliant sun and climbing temps (60's by St. Louis) and guided the fam under the arch and into Illinois.  Lunch stop near Carbondale (wondered if I'd get punched for wearing a UNI sweatshirt today there), then I took the wheel thru Kentucky and finally into Nashville around 3 pm.  73 was the highest I saw today...absolutely beautiful!  On the 'odd' side...check engine light comes on after running for nearly 700 miles like a champ; something about the gas cap and e-vapor code (thanks, Adrian @ the Aamco shop in Nashville)...reset and we ready to roll.  Traffic jam heading downtown, saw the Ryman (no free Lady Antebellum tix, but we tried!) and dinner at the Paradise Park, a redneck lovin' greasy spoon burger joint and rock bar.  Too much fun...Oh yeah; the SEC men's tourney is in Nashville, started tonight.  8 bazillion Kentucky fans crowded the streets...lots of musicians chasing the dream downtown...also walked around the Grand Ole Opry -- a pretty cool sense of history in these places, standing where so many greats have sung.  So now, 8:30 pm, and we are all done.  Cooked.  Needing sleep in the worst way.  The kids travelled day one like rock stars; let's hope Atlanta is kind and we get there in good time tomorrow.  10 hours or so left...Orlando or bust!

Goodnight, all...

rush.

It hit us tonight as we put the kids to bed after dance, tae kwan do, a late home arrival after Kari giving a little girl a ride home (who's mom FORGOT?!? her at the after school program)...we are tired.  The tired to the bone tired that makes you collapse into bed and want to sleep until Friday.  The pace we keep is hectic; it is our choosing, and in another spot I commented on the blessing of being busy.  Our kids and our lives are full of great things, great friends, love, chances to give to others, and to engage the world around us.  However, it crushed in on us tonight, like sand you can't break free of.  The housework has fallen behind due to my inability to keep up with it; my studies are lagging in some areas because of a heavy load in others, our kids are self sufficient because we try to do as much as we can when we are home they end up hanging out by themselves.  Again, most of it is our choosing...but this is kinda tough sometimes.  Just whining to cyberspace tonight prior to the aforementioned crash into bed.  I think we manage pretty well and still make time to care for ourselves, but it does make me wonder what happens when this catches up with us...

Spring Break, can you get here sooner?!?

snowboards, skis, sunshine, soul food

The boy bought a snowboard. Too funny...he is so psyched. First comment -- "Daddy, now we can build a half-pipe." Uh huh. That sounds like a FABULOUS idea, son. The little punk figured out how to ride the thing down the hill already, only a matter of time before we are constructing a large icy ramp in the backyard. What a hoot. And actually, Kristyn is pretty good, too. She could give the boy a run for his money. If only Daddy could figure it out...

Skied 2xs this weekend; snow is fast and light; cold is not bad when you are moving. Heading for a run today...should be a chilly one! Alright, though...and the sun is shining! Gotta love that...bluebird sky and light breeze. I'll wear a scarf and hope my lungs don't freeze.

All of these qualify as soul food -- the things that nourish me internally. I love it, love the babies, love being active and outside. Great to be alive...

Winter

A random, totally out of order selection of winter thus far...