Family ...Dinner Italian Style

Family....

We love having dinner with all of our  kids. Many nights we will sit around the table with ALMOST all of them and break bread together. With three of the four children working, we had to get our calendars out to find a day to make a date to actually go out and share a meal. I guess that's what happens when your children grow up; coordinating schedules becomes a regular part of life.  We also love Downtown Denver. And Italian food. So today I blew off the GF  lifestyle and shared a family style meal with everyone. It was de-lic-ous! We had more than we could eat and well, who doesn't love leftovers!!

We are family!

Gabe and Sarahh

 

I am always, always grateful for the time together with our children and treasure each memory we have together.

Psalm 127:3

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Climb Every Mountain.. or just one.

 

The Incline

 

 Scary. Intimidating. Hard. Breath-Sucker. 2000ft Gain. Muscle-Maker. Worth It! 



 The last time I did this, I swore that was it. It almost killed me; and that was only half-way up. After time away from this beast, I rethought the mountain and my wimpy 'tude and decided I could do it again. Kind of like having a baby; you forget the pain and go for it one more time! This time though T convinced the youngest to join in. It took some coaxing but she came along, with a smile on her face. Hollywood underestimates herself and her physical ability. She's much tougher than she lets on.

With ear buds in and Beyoncé singin to me, I climbed. It didn't take long before I was remembering the pain of this mountain. Cough, cough, cough. Oh wintertime exercise and coughing! But it is so worth it. Fresh air, warm temperatures and the beauty of Colorado. Honestly, we couldn't believe it was December. My sweet girls would wait for me and I would wave them on. T on the other hand was just climbing! His new bionic hip is serving my man well. He did awesome! I turned off at Bar Trail, same place I stopped last time, which is about the half-way point. The hike down from there is wonderful and the views amazing.

But these two.. whoo hoo!  They kept climbing. Just look at all those stairs!

 

 

 Half way point.... made it!

And she did it!!! Hollywood's first time and she did it! If you looked at ALL her hashtags on Instagram you'd think she was dying. Does she look like she's dying?  Her sister, the great motivator, kept her going and I think she's ready to go again!

T took this photo and text it to me while he waited at the top for his girls. Someone decorated a tree at the top of the mountain. How cool is this? I keep thinking about their backpack full of ornaments trudging up the mountain. A nice way to end a Christmas climb.

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas to you all!

TnT

Denver at Christmastime

T and I  love spending time away and downtown Denver happens to be one of our favorite spots. The culture is so much more me than Monument. I even told T that I can think and relax downtown. This is our state courthouse building. The have a full manger scene on the steps, yes you read right, and signs that shout Merry Christmas. For such a liberal state, this one they got right. 

The children need to run!!!

The children are back at school and it's still mighty cold. Those two things mean only one thing...sooo much energy in 15  six and seven year olds!  They would love to go outside but Morher Nature says,"I don't think so." Come on temperatures, please go up!!! 

Anniversary 24

Twenty-Four, 24, yes.... TWENTY-FOUR years. October 28, 1989 was, is, and always will be a day that changed two peoples lives forever.

I'm not as young as I was then.....

I'm not as thin as I was then....

I'm not as naive as I was then....

I'm not as playful as I was then....

But.....

I am more in love today, more in tune with his needs, more aware of mine, and totally see God's greatness.

The journey of two lives intertwining into one has created a love for each other, a joy with each other, and a walk through life that only we share together. God has become more real because of my marriage and this journey called life. I never thought that the longer I would be married, the more I would see my LORD. But it's true. God has revealed himself in so many circumstances that I would not have experienced had it not been this walk hand in hand with my man.

Together we created a family; we are blessed with four amazing children and a life of smiles and trials. Both have made us who we are today.

Can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.  Let the Adventure continue!

I love you SHJ.

Fall Hiking

What a lovely day for a hike with my man. The quiet of the hills, the joy of walking, the sweet conversation between 2, the fresh growth of new trees... God's voice is heard in many ways. Today it was through His creation.

Psalm 96:12 “ Praise him for the growing fields, for they display his greatness. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise."

Changes... life is never the same and well, that's how we roll.

Some people live in one place all their life. Others move maybe once or twice and quite possibly reluctantly. For us, we look at life as an adventure waiting to be explored.  Some of us in this home are more of a planner type with their adventure and then there's me who would pack up tomorrow just to explore uncharted territory. I would probably be a part of Captain Kirk's crew on Voyager if he was really looking to recruit.  Looking for a place "no man has gone before" or in this case, woman.

T and I are in the middle of another season of change. We know it's on its way. He knows what to expect and not expect from his job and now we wait. We've been waiting since oh, May. The desert season has been long and different. We aren't sure what the outcome will be this time. We don't see all of the grand picture God has laid out. He's shining his flashlight on a tiny bit of the path at a time giving us a glimpse and preparing us but all the while teaching us what waiting looks like. Some days seem very tiresome; the same ol' routine of getting up, going to work, driving here and there for the family, cooking or cleaning, crashing in front of the TV with our feet up, and hoping to hear SOMETHING from God on what the plan is. And all the while, He's quiet, allowing us to learn what waiting looks and FEELS like. I'm learning... slowly. We love, LOVE where we live but is it where we're gonna stay? Honestly, we haven't a clue. Which is where our adventurous heart gets excited.

Funny thing is that even our children are changing. While we wait, they wait. Yes, we all live life and DO life but we are all in this thing together. Each experiencing their own kind of change as well. I love how God interconnects His purposes in us that way.

So where does this leave us?  Well, we have choices. We can live in a mixed up crazy sort of way, which at times over the past few months has sooo felt like that. There are days that feel like a bunch of leftovers in the fridge have been thrown in the blender and turned on high. Just messy. Or we can choose to press in to the Word, learn to be still on the INSIDE, and pray for God's adventure to be prepared in due time.

That is what we strive for each day, stopping this crazy race and listening to the quietness of God's voice. I still hear our pastor in California telling us God is working upstream. We aren't up where He is yet, but when we arrive, he's prepared the way. Yeah God!

Life changes, but God doesn't. He's always steady, always true, always ready for our new adventure. Question is our we ready for His new adventure?

Reality Check: Are you afraid of what's around the bend? Do you have the heart of an adventurer seeking after God's plan or do you work your own plan hoping it's God's? 

Proverbs 16:9 "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps."

Elizabeth Grace-Marie, Boo Boo, Gracie May

My baby girl is 19!!!

 

So we celebrated like any good family does. Friends, food and a little Nertz competition. 

Gabriel T and Sarahh Beth

The food was wonderful! T smoked all day in spite of the rain. It took a wee bit longer than anticipated but was so worth the wait.

Happy Birthday Boo! We love you!