Back to Reality......(Lori)

Hi everyone! I am a little sad today...(OK, a lot sad) as our company left this morning at 5 a.m. We had such a wonderful week and I think they all enjoyed themselves while they were here. We didn't go and do a whole lot because the roads were icey in the Silverton/Ouray area. We did a little shopping, a little sledding, a little snowmobiling, and a lot of lazing around. Diane and Steve stayed in a cabin owned by one of our church member who also gave us the snowmobile to use so thanks to Burt and Pat Armstrong who went over and above to make their visit great! Diane and Steve's granddaughter Emma wanted them to build a snowman while they were here but the snow is so hard, it was impossible to form one. So, they just kind make one out of a pile of snow that was in the yard!

So it is back to reality for me.....I loved having mother here and wish she could have stayed on a couple more months with us! She was not fond of the snow at all and says that seeing it all was going to make her worry even more about us! So...pray for her!!

We have 3 basketball games tomorrow and we will be done playing basketball in Ignacio. Mason will continue to play the Durango league until March. The kids were out of school today for in-service. Landon has been getting to swim everyday at Ignacio for P.E. and is loving that. He gets one more week of it. We are now looking forward to our next guests Jessica and Jerry Creel who are coming in on Feb. 25th! I have survived January here now and will grit my teeth through the next two snow months until I reach Spring!

Snowmobiling again...(Mike)

Hey everyone Mr. Bert left his snowmobile for us to ride a few days while our guests were here and I thought I would post a few pics of Nana. Steve and Diane riding the snowmobile. There might also be a picture or two of Diane snowshoeing. She was awesome at it.....Ha!

Mike

Our Visitors are Here!(Lori)

Mom, her sister Diane, and her brother-in-law Steve arrived on Saturday afternoon around 3:00, just in time to see Mason's last basketball game (for the day)! We then went out to eat for Mason's birthday at Applebys and we got the waitresses to sing happy birthday to him. He was a little embarrassed yet proud at the same time. They got to attend church with us at Vallecito Church yesterday and Mike took Steve and the boys ice fishing. Steve didn't really have the right shoes and clothes on for it but at our urging, he went along anyway. Then the story goes that they stopped at a steep embankment and Big Steve fell not once, but 3 times before he even got to the ice!! The snow was so deep, he said it didn't hurt falling, it hurt trying to get out of it!! Then Landon fell and the snow was waist deep on him and he had to be rescued by his daddy because he couldn't move!! Now let me clarify that they were falling in the snow, not through the ice....they did not even have a bite on the whole fishing thing! Today we initially were going to go into Durango because it was clear this morning but now it looks like a blizzard outside so we may just hang around....

Ok...I had to stop the blog and go outside for pictures...then Diane, Steve, and mom decided that they wanted to sled. Diane did it ...no problem....Steve did it....no problem. Then Mom, who has been extra cautious (until today) got to the top of the hill and then tried to sit on the sleigh but instead rolled down the back of the hill !! It was so funny! She was fine (THANK GOD!) and it felt good to laugh!

This is Diane and Steve and they wanted Emma to see them in all the snow......

Ok, this next picture was made for Don and Faye to see that Mom did go sledding!!.....

Here's live footage of Diane and Steve sledding......

They are amazed at all the snow and Mom says this will be her last visit during winter! She's way too nervous about all the dangers of the snow!

Happy Birthday Mason!

Does anyone remember this little one? Isn't he adorable!

My first little man God sent us is 11 today! It makes me so sad....he already looks 13 or 14....growing so fast. He is our little responsible and tender hearted child. He is a little father to Landon and Haven and is so obedient to us. Mason, you have blessed our lives with so much joy....we are so proud of you and pray that you will live a life that glorifies our Lord. We love you!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASON!!

I also want to wish my friend Appi's daughter Lillie Pate a Happy 3rd Birthday for tomorrow the 24th! This picture was from Lillie's birthday last year...they've both grown quite a bit!HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILLIE!

Trip to Silverton and Ouray....(Lori)

Yesterday we spent the day touring the towns of Silverton and Ouray with Pat and Burt Armstrong. They wanted to show us the area so that we can take our company if they want to go. Burt has been a tour guide in the past so we got a very historical guide of the area. Thanks Burt! The train that is a big tourist attration in Durango goes to Silverton through the mountains. Silverton is very small, around 300 people in the winter and many of the stores and restuarants shut down until summer. The town is bigger in the summer when people come back to run their businesses. Every building there whether old or new, is built in a very old structue to preserve the feel of old town. The school there has 64 kids in it. It is an old mining town but the mines shut down in 1952.
Here we are in Silverton....it's kind of behind us......


We then traveled to Ouray which is about 23 miles from Silverton on winding mountain roads with huge drop offs. I was a little nervous about it, esp. when Burt decided to look and point and take his eyes off the road!! This road actually stays closed a lot during winter because the icy conditions of the road. However, the road was clear of snow and ice due to the great weather we have been having. This is just a picture of some of the beautiful scenary that's on the drive there.....


We stopped on an overpass to see this waterfall coming out of the rocks....it is kind hard to see it in the picture

Ok...this is Ouray...do you see the little town at the base of the mountain?

We stopped and ate at this little bar and grill (sorry, every place around here is a bar and grill!)



Ouray has an outdoor hot springs swimming pool complete with slides and all. It was weird to see an outdoor pool with probably 150 people in it and snow on the ground all around it! My kids sure wanted to try it out but too bad...no swimsuits. Ouray is home to an Ice Climbing Festival that had taken place the weekend before. However, people were out yesterday doing it...let me rephrase that....CRAZY PEOPLE were out yesterday doing it.....here are some pictures...look for the climber in each picture...

That is one winter sport that this family will not be trying!! Talk to you later.....

Lori

Counting my Blessings......(Lori)

Hello All! I just wanted to share that today I started literally counting my blessings and asking my children to help. I am so incredibly blessed and take that for granted. When I hear about a wife who has lost her young husband or a local preacher whose house just burned down, it helps me to be more thankful for what I have. I have kind of been in a "pit" of adjustment/boredom and needed a reminder of everything God has done for me.....therefore, I started writing them down. And it helps...and it will be an ongoing list. So if you ever come to that place in life where you lose motivation and everything in your life is viewed negatively, remember this form of Godly therapy! It works!
Let me share some of those blessings with you because they might just involve you!
God has blessed me with:
-an awesome husband whose heart is to follow God.. not man
-beautiful, smart, healthy kids
-good health for me and my family...none of us wake up in pain everyday
-friends that love me (Thank you! I know it is very hard sometimes)
-a wonderful mother who is in good health and has great friends and family

-great inlaws that we all love to be with
-wonderful extended families that love one another and are rarely in discord
-the ability to pay our bills and not be in need(even with a huge house payment!)
-Phones, internet, and mail to communicate with the ones I love
-Our whole families are christians and attend church (yes, even my dad now)
-freedom to worship our Creator however and whenever we want

That's just a few.....what are some of your blessings? Share them with us in a comment please! I may need them on my list!

I have gotten into Facebook the past couple of weeks and it has actually been a blessing also ....very addictive but a blessing. How? Can you think of those people who were once in your life and you wonder how they are, where they are, and how life is for them? I have been able to reconnect with so many people from the past and it is so neat to find out how life is for them. I have found childhood friends, high school friends, college friends, past church friends, and Kids that were in the youth groups that Mike led. I have found some freedom from connecting with two people who were once very close friends in my life that I have been hurt by. (Hmmm..you are all wondering who that might be aren't you?) So the computer is not all bad. Why is it so much easier to "talk" on the computer than face to face?? this may all sound silly for a wife and mother of 3 but when you are 1300 miles from home and have a lot of time on your hands, connecting with people in your past is therapeutic with dealing with the people in your "present".

Mason has been asked by a parent at Bayfield to play on their basketball team in the Durango League. That's an awesome blessing too that he gets to play with his classmates and the coaching instruction is soooooo much better than he gets at Ignacio. They will overlap for two weeks but we'll sacrifice. Mason's team did play much better at Ignacio this week and won! FINALLY! Not use to losing! He scored 14 points. Landon's team won again and he scored 4 points.

Other news is that Mike and I joined the Praise team, Donny and his family came back (but are living in Bayfield instead of Vallecito), we are going with a couple tomorrow to Silverton and Ouray (aka the switzerland of Colorado) and my mom, aunt Diane, and uncle Steve are coming on Saturday night!! oh and the boys grades were awesome!! (they get graded in Library....Library???) OH, and the church bought Mike a laptop...huge blessing because we could not replace our computer until our house sells. I'll quite rambling and leave you with this word
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight" Prov. 3:5-6

This has become my favorite verse. Please pray for the Jim Branyon family, a guy that I went to high school who died in seconds without any prior health problems. Please pray for a friend whose name is Tammy (not Silvey everyone!) that just found out some bad health news and is seeking God for the first time in a while, and pray for one of my new friends here....she has been such a blessing to me but I am not sure she is a Christian. Pray that she will allow God to move in her life and as a result, she will reach her husband who is totally against God at this time.

Remember those blessings that you have taken for granted this week and praise God for them!
Lori


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Cold Weather (Mike)

We hear out in Colorado that Alabama is getting some cold weather. I hope everyone is staying warm down there. We feel for you guys. Just wanted to ask everyone to pray for us. We are at that stage where we have settled in and things are no longer new and the difficult part of being here has begun. This has been a tough week for Lori and the kids; I don't know why this week but it is tough so pray that God would grant to our family peace and joy during this season of our lives. Lori has some family coming next week so that should help some. Anyway not really much to tell today; we start out in the mornings close to zero and it warms up to the 30's during the day, which is really nice when the sun is out. Snow is still everywhere and we are expecting more next week. I miss seeing you all and we would love to hear from you. I pray that you all are well and encourage you to stay faithful, especially those of you in Grace Community. God would finish what He has begun in you and in the church there.

I want to send a special thank you out to Shane and Bonnie Bowman for checking on our house and even fixing some things that needed it. Thanks Shane and Bonnie. You guys are a gift from the Lord to us. We love you.

Happy late B'day to my good friend Jeff Silvey. Jeff I have always admired your love and commitment to the Lord and to the gospel. Thanks for being such a good friend and example. We love you and Tammy.

A note to Tony Jetton. Hey Tony I found a golf course here where the membership fee for the whole year is only about $350. I am going to join because it sounds like such a good deal . Nice course too. Of course when you figure that it is only open for about 2 months it doesn't seem like such a bargain but I have decided to get me some snow shoes and play all winter long. I won't be able to see the greens or the fairways but that way I can just say as far as I know I hit every fairway and green. My kind of golf.

God bless you all. We will write more later.
Mike

Great Sunday! (Mike)

I just wanted to share with you all about the good day we had Sunday. There were four guests there Sunday, which is huge for our church and we were all excited about that. Also our worship leader and I have started to try and update and transition our worship to a more joy filled worship time. Sunday was the debut and it went great. The church was more exciting and you could see the people come alive Sunday. They had smiles on their faces and people were lifting their hands in worship. It was an awesome day. God is really moving in the life of our church here. I believe He is positioning us to do some big things here but first He has to do a big work in our church. Please pray that God would do all that He wants in us, so that He might do all that He wants through us. My family and I are hanging in there, but it sure would make it easier if we could see God's hand at work more. We are commited to His will though no matter what. Whether we see the results are not, God has called us to be faithful and to toil without seeing the results if that is what God has called us to. I recall in the book of Acts that Peter preached a great sermon and thousands of people came to faith in Christ. Stephen preached a great sermon and he had thousands of rocks thrown at him and he died. Which one pleased God more? I think God was equally pleased with both; they were both faithful. The point is you be faithful to God and leave the rest up to Him. By the way the Bible says that Stephen saw heaven open up and Jesus standing by the Father ready to welcome him home. I bet Stephen would say all the pain was worth it just to know that Jesus is there waiting on you. Stay faithful everyone. The work is almost over. God bless.
Mike

Happy Birthday to Robby and Jeff!

Happy Birthday to my brother Robby Richardson and our close friend Jeff Silvey! They are both 40+ today so I'll spare them the reminder of their actual age.....we love you!!

(Sorry about the small pictures...couldn't figure out what happened!)

Snowmobiling

A snowmobile was one of the first purchases that Mike "wanted" to make when we moved to try to make the boys happy. However, we found out that Mr Burt had 6 of them and decided "naa...we'll just use his!" He came over Saturday with his two-seater and we finally got to ride and drive one! It was cool, kind of like riding a 4 wheeler or jet ski, but the views on it was incredible! Here are some pictures from the day....

We had an encouraging day at church as one of my play group moms came with her children, and 3 younger people came that was new to the Valley that we had invited were there. The weather has been awesome......very sunny and still about 3 solid feet of snow on the ground. The sun being out makes the days so much more enjoyable. You really don't have to even wear a coat unless you are going to stay outside for a while. Nice...I might just survive!

Sleigh Ride (Lori)

Mike can't post pictures of the sleigh ride and just leave you guys hanging!!! Church members Dan and Shelia Newman (that own the outfitters business) are members of a Horse and Carriage Club and invited us to their winter gathering completed with sleigh rides. It was a really neat experience but very cold as the snow was hitting your face. Here are some more pictures ............

We all got to ride "Blue" with Dan leading us.....

AHHHHHH....this was my first horse ride and it was freaky!! I was so scared! You know how I like to be in control and I certainly couldn't be....I was at the mercy of Blue!

This was a beautiful 8 passenger sleigh.....

We haven't quiet found the "right" hat for Mike yet.........

The boys are having a blast on the 4-wheeler. They have their sleds hooked up to the back..fun!

School started back yesterday and our first Vallecito Play Group was today. We had 4 mothers there and with mine there was a total of 8 children. Haven had a blast! No other plans for the week or weekend so everything is slowing down a bit. Don't forget to leave us a comment to let us know you dropped in! Lori

Christmas in Alabama Part 2 (Lori)

Dec. 28- Sunday We anxiously traveled back to Cullman to see all of our church family at Grace on Sunday for the morning service. It was so great to see everyone again! It was sort of overwhelming as we tried to talk to everyone but did not have enough time with each of you and for that we are sorry. We were really glad to get to hear Jack preach and were thrilled that the "silent service" was on the 4th and not 28th!!! Here are some shots from Grace.....

This is me with my girlie-girls Dawn and Meredith....and what a cute picture of Allen and Sandi!!

Mike and Tracy (a little too close up..)

My Tammy was sick on Sunday but we joined her and Jeff for lunch anyway. Thanks for the steaks!! They were delicious!! (I didn't get close enough to her to get a picture together that day)
Jessica and me....(this was not taken this trip but I am trying to get a picture in of all my faithful blog followers!!) Sorry that I didn't get pictures with the rest of you!!

After lunch, we had a birthday party for both Mason and Landon at Grace because they don't really know many kids in CO. They had an awesome turn out so thank you so much for all of you who gave up your Sunday afternoon to spend with the boys. I can't tell you how much it meant to us and especially the boys who were just wanting to see their friends so badly!! I just hate they didn't get more time with them. The boys want to spend their whole spring break in Cullman instead of Gordo to see their friends (Sorry Gordo family!!).....I'm not going to let them ,of course, but Cullman is just "home" to them...

This is Mason's Parkside buddies Hunter Whitehead, Seth Lancaster, Noah Walker, and Austin Scott. Blane Pope was also there...sorry we missed you in the picture Blane! Thanks to all the parents who also stayed for us to visit with. I miss you Parkside guys so much!!!
Landon's friends Anna, Carlee, Devyn, and Tyler Cone

Other friends there included Romie, Caden, and Tyler Syrono, Cameron and Taylor Tankersley, Allie Scott, Hailey and Harris Crumbley, Noah Wright, Chandler Wisener, Dylan Cone, and Libby Pope (please forgive me if I forgot someone!)I really hate I didn't get pictures of everyone so if you took any at the party with kids that I did not post, please email them to me!
These are the faithful girlfriends that were left behind....Taylor and Hailey




Mike got a little icing in the face from Dawn and Mere...thanks ya'll!! It was priceless!!

After the party, we went to small group at Jessica and Jerry's house. It was so great to be surrounded by all of you again! The food was awesome too!!

Mike, Tiffany, Allen, Meredith holding Brian
Tammy, Bonnie, and Jessica

We spent the night with Bonnie and Shane who are presently on a cruise (I'm so jealous!!). Thank you Bonnie for the hospitality and wonderful pizza that she made us, not once, but twice!Landon spent the night with his buddy Devyn and Mason with his buddy Chandler.....

DEC 29th-On Monday, we spent some time at the house, cleaning up a bit and loading up what we couldn't get before. Mason and Landon got to spend more time with the Pope children, the Tankersleys, and their old neighbors Reid and Kara Hollis. The goodbyes were hard again and the boys little hearts were broken to have to leave Cullman again.

DEC 30th- Tuesday Mom wanted to take the boys to Chuck E. Cheese's for their birthday present. My forever friend Appi and her children joined us there along with some of my aunts, uncle and cousins.

Me and Appi

Taylor, my aunts Terry, Gail, Diane, and Big Steve (by the way, Diane, Big Steve, and my mom are going to be our first guests here in Colorado!! Yea!! I am so excited!! They will be here on Jan. 25th!! Jeff, Tyler, and Tammy have their plane tickets for April!! Whoo-hoo!!)

Dec 31st-Wednesday New Year's Eve was spent over at the Owen's with a fun-filled night of games. Mike's Aunt Gail Peavy and cousin Brandon along with his other aunt Faye and uncle Herman...all from Georgia. We played "Big Booty"(it's not what you think!) and I must say that Owen family, your Big Booty skills have certainly improved since last year!

This is mom with the kids and the other picture is Jeff, Gail, Denise, Mike, and Brandon. We had an awesome time and ate way too much! Thank you all for your hospitality while we were there. In retrospect, I regret not taking enough pictures of everyone although I thought I was being very "blog" conscience while we were there. We left with teary goodbyes again on New Years morning with heavy hearts and a mission still before us in Colorado. We flew out at 11:20, changed flights in Dallas, and arrived at Albuquerque at 3pm. Waiting on us there was Cathy and Earl Wilkening and Dan and Shelia Newman to help us transport the luggage (and me!) back to Vallecito without us all having to pile into the 4 passenger Jeep with no luggage room. What a blessing that was and God's provision again. We did not even ask them to come, they just called us and told us they would be there. The people here are truly serving their pastor.

It was a great Christmas trip to Bama, a blessing to our hearts and kind of like a battery charger as we filled up on getting to see the ones we love to last us a couple more months. We love you all and can't wait to be with you again soon (if I can survive this snow!). Lori