Vacation...

Timberline Falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Rivers and streams are constant reminders for me of the gracious work that God continues to do in all of us who are willing to receive it.  Just above the falls is Glass Lake.  To get there you climb up a trail (more like a rock face) just to the right of the waterfall.  Beyond that there is a hard-to-follow trail that leads to Sky Pond.

Tina is undefeated so far at mini-golf.  I'm not sure how she is doing it but she seems to be gifted in this area.  The boys and I will keep practicing until we can defeat her...lol.

Vacation Countdown - "2 Days"

We're less than two days away from flying away into the wild blue yonder. I hid out at the office as much as I could today. Something happens at our house the last few days before vacation. Tina always gets this urge to clean the house really good just in case something happens to us. Yep, I don't think that I could really enjoy heaven while worrying about someone seeing our less than perfectly cleaned home . So, I have personally cleaned every toilet in the house and I am now awaiting my next assigned task. It's not so bad--I do enjoy coming home to a pristeen home. The problem is that we are leaving Jaren home by himself and I'm not convinced that he is going to maintain the place very well while we are gone. The good news is that he will likely never venture up from downstairs except to pilfer for food. If I leave enough cash, then he will eat out and will not venture into the kitchen much. We have a mini-fridge downstairs where we keep the sodas.

Packing is fun at our house. Zach and I usually find a shirt and a pair of blue jeans each and call it good. Tina, as any good woman would, forces us to pack for all of the unkown scenarios that we might face. Even though Florida has Walmart or two, we will check one ginormous suitcase and then carry on a couple of small ones. I doubt we'll need half of what we take--but we will do it for mom. I used to take a lot of books on vacation deceiving myself into thinking that I would actually read them. I'm not taking any this time--ok, I'll take my One Year Bible. Also, I'll take Conlan Brown's novel that I need to finish. Perhaps, I'll take one more just in case I finish Conlan's book and want something else.

Amy gave me some girl scout cookies for the trip--Samoas. I'll pack those in the ginormous bag and hope the baggage guys don't steal them. I'll eat the first cookie with one foot in the gulf in honor of Amy. The cookies are actually for Gideon (the church cat) but he said that I could take them with me in case I see some Florida cats.

Vacation Countdown: "6"

Just six days left...

One of the things that I am looking forward to is our first-ever trip to Busch Gardens. This park boasts some of the wildest coasters in America. Zach and I were watching "Youtube" videos of some of the rides in the park--Awesome! Tina will have nothing to do with us as we ride and will instead be at the shows and checking out the exhibits. From what I can understand, Busch Gardens is sort of like Disney's Animal Kingdom in that there are a lot of zoo-like exhibits to see. The online ticket purchase allows us to get in for two days. The plan is to hit the park mid-week, like maybe Tuesday and then return on Thursday for a second day. I'm a theme park nut and I have already started planning out the preferred sequence by which we will tour the park. Crazy, isn't it?

Vacation Countdown: "7"

Exactly one week from today, I will be enjoying Anna Maria Island. This is a beautiful spot on the Florida's Gulf Coast just south of Tampa. I can't wait!

One of the best parts of the trip will be just relaxing on the beach. In addition, we're planning to experience sailing, snorkeling, and even a couple of days at Busch Gardens in Tampa.

I love seafood and so I'm certain that we will have some wonderful dining expeiences as well.

We will be staying at a condominium that is provided free of charge for pastors and their families as a place to relax and recharge. I very much appreciate the foundation that makes this possible. Our church has graciously provided airfare and perhaps a few other things.

Clearly this is all that I will be thinking of for the next seven days.

Higher Grounds in Pagosa Springs...

After an article on "REST" it sees appropriate to take a little bit of rest. My family and I are in Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the next few days using a timeshare that my father has graciously provided. We are doing some family things but mainly just resting. I have big intentions to get in quite a bit of study and to get caught up on my reading. I am posting this morning from the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop in Pagosa. Check them out online here. I came in early and picked a table near a wall outlet and began my blog reading routine with a great cup of ALLEGRO coffee. Unknowingly, I chose the table normally belonging to "Rick" who came in and sat at a table normally belonging to "Caleb" who is sitting in the middle of the room occassionallly giving me "concerned" looks. I'll know better where to sit tomorrow morning. The picture is of downtown Pagosa Springs and was found here.

The Hacienda

This is the amazing house that we are staying in, "The Hacienda". It's huge! There is a pond, complete with boats from which to fish, as well as a large game room. There are four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and everything that you might want to enjoy during a time of relaxation. It's awesome. Did I mention that it is "FREE" to pastors and missionaries?

On Vacation...

My family and I are on vacation this week in beautiful Durango, Colorado. We are staying at the incredible "Hacienda" which is made available to pastors and their families free of charge by a ministry called Rocky Mountain Renewal. You can read more about this ministry and how you can participate at their website: www.rockymountainrenewal.org. I'll have plenty of pictures to share in the next few days.

Home Sweet Home!

We're home save and sound! The day began with not too much optimism. Everything that I heard on the news indicated that it would be Sunday at the earliest before the roads opened. The weather was great--bright and sunny--and yet the interstate remained closed with only pessimistic reports. A little before noon (the stated time to either commit to another night at the hotel or check out) a rumor was circulating that they "might" open the road at 2pm. That was all the hope that I needed. We packed our gear, loaded the van, and vacated our motel room and began the waiting game. 2:00 became 3:00 and it was nearing 4:00 when the road finally opened. The boys and I had been waiting at the interstate on-ramp for about an hour when a couple of Colorado's finest opened the gate and led us westward towards Denver. The roads were great and we were able to do 75 most of the way. We arrived home about 7pm with a well-shoveled drive (thanks!) and a "happy-to-see-us" dog.

Road Closed!

We have awakened to the news this morning that I-70 is closed until further notice. Fortunately, we have a nice room at a nice motel where we can hang out today. It's my understanding that we have to decide by noon whether we want to keep the room for another night or not. I'm pretty sure that we'll keep the room--don't want to spend the night at the truckstop.

I would much prefer to be home but I also understand that God many times has things for us to accomplish at times and places that we would neglect were it not for his insistance (closed roads). And so, I will resist the urge to stay isolated in my room and will make it a point to visit with anyone that I can, as often as I can, in order to be God's servant at the Comfort Inn in Limon, Colorado.

Christmas Vacation...

I'm not sure what day I'm supposed to be on...sort of got lost in the snow storm. Anyway...the boys and I are on our way back to Colorado by way of various places we hold dear. We had a wonderful couple of days at Tina's mom's home in Bastrop seeing lots of family. Yesterday, we traveled to Conroe where Tina's sister and her husband have been staying for the past several months. They are IMB missionaries to Mexico and we were fortunate enough to be able to spend some time with them just prior to their return to Mexico. They have been staying at a very nice missionary home that West Conroe Baptist Church provides. It is one of the nicest missionary homes that I have ever seen. Thanks to this great mission-minded church for not only providing housing but for opening up their church family to these modern-day apostles ("one's who are sent"). Tina is staying behind for a few extra days to help her sister finish up final details. The boys and I are in Abilene tonight. We came through Fort Worth and walked around the campus of Southwestern Seminary. Unfortunately, it was all locked up for the holidays. We had a nice time walking around just the same. We came from there through Granbury where we have spent much time in the past and eventually made our way to Lipan, where I pastored for six years prior to coming to Colorado. The current pastor, David Peacock (my former youth pastor at FBC Lipan) gave us a great tour of both the church and the parsonage (our former home). Not much has changed in Lipan! We grabbed a coke at the Pak-a-Sak and headed out for Abilene. God was with us and allowed us to find a great room at a great price with an indoor pool. We even found a Chinese buffet--can't get much better than that!

Christmas Vacation: Day 2

Not much to report...just lots and lots of snow to shovel. I reached the end of my driveway and struck asphalt about 1:00 this afternoon. I navigated the Monte Carlo down the narrow-walled passageway that I had dug and had a nice drive around town. Tomorrow, I will dig the mini-van out and perhaps we will make another attempt at I-70. It's open now and hopefully will be smooth sailing.