Thankfulness

For my family, my health, a nice soft bed
My friends, my freedom, a roof over my head

I'm thankful right now to be surrounded by those
Whose lives touch me more than they'll ever possibly know

Thankful Lord, that You've blessed me beyond measure
Thankful that in my heart lives life's greatest treasure

That You, dear Jesus, reside in that place
And I'm ever so grateful for Your unending grace

--Scott Wesemann

Premier Soccer- Table of Champions

There was a time (in the not so distant past) when this particular foosball table was the most expensive piece of furniture in our house. It all started when Adam was having a bunch of kids over for his birthday party. We already had the trampoline but Mark thought that the addition of a foosball table was just what was needed for a boys teenage party.

So, off Mark went in search for the coveted table. I, being the nieve wife who knew nothing of the costs of such a precious piece, was absolutely floored (at the cost) when Mark returned with the "Premier Soccer Table of Champions". "This table is solid-quality and it will last forever", he assured me. Needless to say, the table WAS used and used. I think that Adam actually made some money off of friends when they came to our house at lunch and played foosball (he was pretty much unbeatable). In fact, it was one of the first pieces of furniture he bought for his first apartment (seriously???).

Unfortunately, we don't have room in our smaller house for the "Table of Champions"....and it hasn't been really used in years. So, today I listed it on Craigslist as, "Foosball Table- Solid-Quality". Perhaps it will make a great holiday gift for some lucky teenager for many years to come!

October storm

I wasn't ready for this much snow in October but now that it is here and the city has pretty much "shut-down" for awhile, I am coming around....it is really pretty!

So I took some pictures and went on the internet to find some intellectual, philosophical or awe inspiring quotes about snow for this post but I ended up with this one;

“When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels”

So, I'm off to make a snow angel in the back yard with the dogs.....and then, I will shovel!

Pa Pap

One of the most precious things to witness is our grandchildren sitting on my dad's lap so that he can read to them. Keadryn came up with calling him "Pa Pap" (it is a lot easier than saying "great-grandpa") and I'm sure that this will be his name for all of the great-grandkids that follow.

I LOVE that he is in Denver and that we are also here to share in these moments!

Are you serious????

I can't tell you how much that I enjoy going to visit our kids and friends. I can barely sleep the night before we leave with anticipation of spending time with them. I really don't care WHAT we do, I'm just glad that we have the time together.

So when I woke up at "dark thirty" this morning and spent the next 12 hours in and out of the bathroom being sick, I wondered why couldn't this happen when I was at home? So far, I have already missed visiting with our dear friend, Edna, and we postponed our visit with Anvita, Vivek and their new baby girl until tomorrow.

Hopefully the tea and toast stay down and I will good as new tomorrow.

Gaining a heart of wisdom

At the beginning of every year, I set goals; physical, professional and personal goals. Not too many that I cannot really commit to them but far enough "out there" that I really need to work on them. The top of my "goal list" for 2009 was to spend some intentional time in "The Word" so that I could really get to know God....not just about Him but who He really is. I actually wrote down the prayer of my heart on January 1, 2009, Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom". My goal this year was to become more a woman of wisdom, prayer, and to experience joy in all circumstances. In fact, I made another notation in my bible regarding this passage on June 9, "We must have a right view of eternity to know the real value of time".

Several months later, when I was visiting Jordan, I picked up a book on her living room coffee table, "Holy Habits". I began reading it and thought that I would enjoy doing the study in the book. So I asked Jordan if I could borrow it. The study has been wonderful...in fact, Mimi states in her first chapter that her lifetime goals are to know God and to become a woman of worship, prayer, wisdom, peace and contentment. Coincidence???? I think not!



To make a long story short, I actually contacted Mimi Wilson (the author) as she is living in Denver and asked if she could speak at a Women's Retreat for our church in September. She agreed and that retreat was last weekend. I purchased another "Holy Habits" book at the retreat to give to Jordan. As I was looking at the back cover yesterday, I was brought to tears.....at the top of the book she wrote Psalm 90:12 as her inspiration for writing her book, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." I have been reading Holy Habits for months and I never read the back cover.

I LOVE how God works...when we are truly seeking Him and at just the right time, He brings people and circumstances into our lives so that we can KNOW Him!

August in photos

Funny how there doesn't seem to be much and then...boom...a whole bunch happens all at once. The first event was when all the family got together for the guys fishing trip to Willis and girl time in Buena Vista. Then was Mark and my trip to Minnesota for Mark and Kelly to watch the PGA Championship just a couple of miles from Tracy's and Kelly's house. We fit in A LOT of activities while we were there!!! And then, back to Colorado to prepare for our church's participation in a citywide project; "Extreme Community Makeover". Throw in Mark's birthday and the month of August came and went very quickly! (PS, I know that some of these pictures are on the girls blogs, but I think they warrant being seen again).

Buena Vista July 30 - August 4


Girl time (plus Burke) at the nursery in Buena Vista


Lita with the girls


Lita with Burke

Great grandpa Jim, Lita, and Keadryn in BV


Auntie Keje and Sayla at the Continental Divide


Kirstin with Burke in BV


Auntie Trish and Kead picking raspberries


Jordan and the girls riding the gondola up Monarch pass


On top of Monarch Pass


Gold Rush Days in BV


And...the boys at Willis: Drew, Patrick, Sean, Adam G., Tom, AJ (Mark was taking the photo).

Minnesota August 8-17


PGA Championship-Hazeltine-Chaska, MN


The Minneapolis Zoo-Stephanie, Jerri, me, Todd and Tracy


Tracy feeding the giraffe


Winning on a long shot at the horse races with Robin


One of many meals with family...this is lunch with Uncle Fran, Tracy and Laura.


The Minnesota Twins vs the Cleveland Indians: Tracy, Kelly, Kristie, Matt and me.

Extreme Community Makeover August 2009


Fixing a fence (Mark's project).


Mark and Hunter are making room for more trash at "Command Center". This was my post.


Painting a house (Kirstin's project was taking photos with Burke).


Tearing down a shed (Adam Gentry's project).


About 80 of us participated in the 10 projects!

Whew....I spent last week recovering!

Family time

It seems to come all at once, in spurts.....time with immediate and extended family.

Kirstin and Jordan have posted wonderful pictures of our time in Buena Vista...just clink on their blog links to the right to view them (theremkes and The glorious Middle). I can't even begin to take great pictures like they do!

Mark and I are in Minnesota visiting my family. We are enjoying this time so much. We are coming and going like crazy and the schedule is full. But we know that there will be extended periods of time that we won' see each other and we can rest later.

I have been thinking and praying a lot about our family lately. How important we are to each other, how we love each other, how we feel so comfortable with each other that we see the "best" and "worst" of each person. How God has placed others in all of our lives that has made us better people and how to be flexible and to make accommodations as our family grows. I am so grateful for the time, effort, energy and commitment that everyone takes to maintain and enrich our relationships.

I found some quotes about families..some are funny, some are profound but all are worth sharing. Enjoy!!!

*Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown
*If you don't believe in ghosts, you've never been to a family reunion. ~Ashleigh Brilliant
*When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~Joyce Brothers
*In some families, please is described as the magic word. In our house, however, it was sorry. ~Margaret Laurence
*You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu
*When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them. ~George Bernard Shaw
*Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted. ~Paul Pearshall
*The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of life's essential unfairness. ~Nancy Mitford
*Family life is a bit like a runny peach pie - not perfect but who's complaining? ~Robert Brault
*The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.~Kendall Hailey
*The informality of family life is a blessed condition that allows us to become our best while looking our worst. ~Marge Kennedy
*Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. ~Anthony Brandt
*Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley
*I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford

Packin' with the llamas

Mark and I had a GREAT time backpacking up to Lost Lake with Melissa, Tom, McKenzie, Jaden, Zac and Jeff. Melissa admits that she really did not think that anyone would catch fish(for those of you who know me well, I read instead of fished) but the rest of them caught quite and few, of which 8 were kept. We hiked, ate fish, roasted and toasted marshmallows and s'mores and enjoyed just sitting around the campfire and visiting. ALSO, we didn't get the torrential rains that have been occurring almost every afternoon in Colorado for the past several weeks!!! Mark and Tom discussed and planned the guys upcoming Willis trip and I had a blast hanging out with the kids! It has been way too long since we have backpacked up in the high country and it was well worth the trip!

girlfriends are the best therapy!!!

Two days of pure bliss with these lovely ladies. They traveled to Denver for a "girls getaway" and did we ever have fun! It was jammed packed with talking...., drinking tea, walking, visiting with our kids who live in the Denver area, more walking, shopping, movies, more talking...., restaurants, touring Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, and then, before we knew it, they were headed home to Farmington. But before they left, we decided that we need to do this at least a couple times a year. It was just what the doctor ordered for my "home-sickness" for friends!!!

Thanks, Janet and Jill! I love you both!

Seeing the "ephants"

I'm so glad that I have a membership to the Denver Zoo, especially when there is "taking kids" involved. Marcia was here for Dad's 80th birthday weekend and she "offered" to help me take the three little ones to the zoo before she left.

We loaded all three kids in the "zoo wagon" and headed straight for the "ephants" as Keadryn calls them. Both Kead and Burke are intrigued by them (with the monkeys and larakeets close behind as their favorites). We had just enough time to see all three, including feeding the larakeets nectar and taking an up close and personal photo with an "ephant" when it started to rain. We didn't feel at all bad about leaving...the kids had had enough and it was a great visit! (and no ...the ephant isn't real but is sure looks like it, doesn't it?)

Lessons from a beginner walker

I love watching this because it reminds me that no matter how old we are, after we stumble, we have to get up and try again.

new wheels

Mark said that if he had purchased this bike for me two years ago that I would have laughed him back to the store to exchange it (I'm not really that mean but you get the point). I know..it's PINK and it's heavy...BUT..I wanted a sturdy, no nonsense bike that will accommodate a basket on the back so that I can get to and from the grocery store just a bit quicker than my legs can take me. Thank heavens for Craigslist. This is the perfect bike for me living in the city!

gotta love these girls!

I love visiting our kids....and I love visiting their kids too! We had a great trip to Lubbock last week..too bad that the girls change so much in between visits! This is my new favorite picture of them!

"I'm never getting married!"

For kicks and giggles, I write down and date interesting/funny/absurd quotes on my calendar. This is a quote from Jordan on May 27, 2001. I'm sure glad that she changed her mind!

bag lady

One of the funnest things about living in the city is being able to walk to the many restaurants in our "neighborhood". Mark and I like to try them out...finding our new favorite, which is difficult since there are so many good places to choose from.

We were on the way back from one of the Chinese restaurants on Friday night. We hadn't even walked a block when the heavens opened up and it started to rain....rain really hard! We have several umbrellas at home but we didn't bring one with us (it IS Colorado...and there was no indication of rain when we left). Since we had about another 9 blocks to home, we dashed to the nearest place that was open....a grocery store.

We bought "Hefty" bags to use as raincoats for the remainder of our journey home. I grabbed another grocery sack for my head and we began race-walking home. I must of been quite the sight (and quite the embarrassment to Mark). I didn't even notice the double-takes from passing motorists.. hey, I was on a mission to get home as quick as possible. After Mark took this picture in our front yard, now I know why. We have some bag ladies who roam the neighborhood but I think that I should get the bag lady award! What do you think???

Happy Birthday Keadryn

I ALMOST missed this birth. Once Jordan was cleared to not take the "devil drug" anymore to stop her contractions and that she was good-to-go for the birth....the contractions stopped coming. We tried everything from walking the border at all hours of the night, walking the mall during the day because it wasn't so hot, driving (more like four wheeling) through the desert, even castor oil. I went to bed the night before I was supposed to leave resolving that it was ok...Keje would be coming and she would be there to see her niece be born.

I remember being woken up the next morning by Jordan rubbing my back and saying "my water broke"! After calling Mark and the airlines and doing some major "sweet-talking" to the reservation agent to change my ticket and not be charged an arm and a leg, I was given an additional 36 hour window or opportunity. Of course we thought that the contractions would start...but no such luck. After 24 hours and just when Jordan was getting ready to head to the hospital to be induced for labor...little miss "I'll do it my way" started to come. I was so blessed to be at the birth and spend a snipet of time with her before I had to leave. Luckily, Auntie Keje would be there next (we actually passed through London the same day but at different airports) and then Auntie Keeks (Kirstin) would follow Keje.

I love this little independent one....she is sweet and spunky...mixed into a ball of energy! Happy 2nd birthday, Kead!

Colfax 1/2 marathon

Yesterday Kirstin and I ran the Colfax 1/2 marathon. We had to be at City Park at 5:00 am for the race start of 6:00 am. It was Kirstin's first race and my first half marathon. We were finished by 8:15...15 minutes of this was spent in the first mile trying to get everyone from the start line and out of the park! The weather was absolutely gorgeous...no wind, lots of sun but early enough that it wasn't too hot!

We have been running a couple of times a week for several months now. We do runs around Washington Park, visit, push Burke in the stroller, and sometimes even go for a "cuppa" at the Bucks afterwards. This has been a really special time for me not to mention the obvious physical benefits. We hope to continue the running...with a goal of running several "races" every year. The next may be a marathon relay and we might even get Adam G. to run a 5K as part of our relay team!

Can he really be 25?

Happy Birthday, Adam!

I don't like using cliche's but "where has the time gone?" really says it all. It seems like not too long ago...I was sitting in the living room with Viviana (our exchange student from Ecuador) when I realized that I probably was going into labor with Adam. She was so excited that she couldn't stand the thought of going to school that day. But off she went....

We found out that we were pregnant just days before Viviana came to live with us for the school year. I know that this sounds funny, and probably not a story that you might expect me to share for a birthday wish, but I just can't think of Adam's pregnancy without remembering her. She took her responsibility of being a "big sister and big sister-to be" very seriously. When I was tired of chasing two toddlers around the house all day, Viviana offered to give Kirstin and Jordan a bath and read them bedtime stories. It delighted my heart to see a young woman who had never made a bed or prepared a meal before arriving in Taos... playing and cooking and baking with the girls so that I could sit with my feet up once in awhile. She would love to rub my tummy and tease me that I must have swallowed a basketball because that is what it looked like from the side view.

She came home from school that day and we told her that we would be heading to the hospital. She gave me a big hug and kiss and said "buena suerte" (good luck). Hours later when she held Adam for the first time, she would say over and over again, "he's so beautiful....he's so beautiful" between her joyful tears. It's true...he WAS a beautiful baby!

When AJ was six weeks old, it came time to say our sad good-byes at the Albuquerque airport for her to return home. I was seriously concerned that she would not give him back to me before boarding the plane:) She lived with us for a pregnancy and then some but she will always be part of my memories of being pregnant with Adam. Can it really be 25 years ago????

The blessings of moving...lifelong friends

Not friends but admittedly, these guys are the #1 reason to visit Idaho. I miss them so much!


Maggie-we became "kindred spirits" the day we met!


Edna...we have been dear, dear friends for many years!


Anvita....one day older than Kirstin and expecting her first baby :)

Mark and I have have moved quite a few times and the actual "moving" part is the LEAST favorite part of all. As I type this, I am STILL unpacking boxes with our recent move into a house that we bought in Denver. It is at about this point in the move that I vow that I will NOT move again!!!

And then it happens.....just when I think that I am destined to spend the remainder of my days organizing a household, putting together yet another storage system for the closets (or lack thereof)....life just takes hold of our new surroundings and I start to feel "at home".

I just returned from a trip to Idaho. A part of my heart is still there....with some incredible friends, not to mention Keje, Patrick, Adam and Trish...who live in the Inland Pacific Northwest. It was bittersweet to visit....loving every minute while I was there and so sad to leave.

I have often told our kids and friends that it SHOULD hurt to move. Because when it hurts, you know that you were really part of the community. You KNOW that you were blessed with lifelong friends!!!