Greely Tournament

Our 12 year old is presently in Greely, CO, north of Denver at a basketball tournament...... without us! We were planning on going up Friday and coming back late Saturday night and leaving him to ride home with someone else on Sunday. However, we found out on Wednesday night that the tournament doesn't even start until 6pm on Saturday night. It is a 7-8 hour drive from here so we couldn't go. The most anxious part about letting him go is that there are mt passes that they have to go over in the snow tomorrow night. He rode with two men, one of whom is a lawyer and one who is a highway patrol officer and for whatever reason, I felt better know that the officer was going along b/c he is from north CO. They arrived safely and we've talked with Mason several times but it's so hard missing out on his games. If you happen to read this before Sunday night (2/28), please say a prayer of safety as they travel back tomorrow night. The personnel committee heard about it all and told Mike he could take off and they wouldn't count it as a vacation day, but knowing that we are heading to San Diego/Mexico in one month kept Mike from taking them up on their offer. We had such mixed feelings about the whole weekend because of what it would cost to spend the weekend there. I finally gave it all to God and this is how He worked things out. So I trust Him to care for Mason while he's gone and will stop worrying as I write this! HA!

Landon was disappointed that we didn't get to go so he got a special night last night with his parents at the movies and eating out. When asked if he liked the feeling of being an only child, he replied "NO! I think I would hate it!". He picked up on my anxiety of Mason traveling on bad roads and has been somewhat worried about his brother. Haven got to play with Alaina last night so she didn't even realize what she missed. Special thanks to my friend Sandi for keeping her. Landon said that he wanted to have a relaxing day and do nothing today so that's exactly what we are doing! Hope you are enjoying your day also!

Here are some pics from Kristin of Mason's snowboarding at Durango Mt. Resort......

The Pictures Say It All.....

Yep...that's our roof you can see but no windows

This was taken before the snow on the roof fell all the way down. Once it did, it completely covered every window on the west side of our house.....

WAAAA....WAAAAA! Yes that's me crying....I'm tired of it and no matter how much I like cross country skiing, I'm ready to see the snow decreasing...not increasing!!

Differences

I'm trying to get creative with this blog instead of just reporting what we're doing all the time so I thought I would discuss some of the differences between life here and life in Alabama.....

SNOW-
I'll start out by admitting that we are pretty spoiled and blessed compared to many people around here. I knew we'd have to deal with snow here but I never knew how much work snow is for people. People have to get up several hours early on days that it snows and shovel their way out to their car, around their car, up their driveway, etc. Some have snowplows which are great but also require work. It is a lot of work for some. The church hires someone to plow the church yard but Mike does have to shovel/plow the deck and the walkway to the cars and around the cars. Then some have to worry about the heavyness of the snow on top of their roofs. Many people have to get on top of their roofs and shovel the snow off also. One of my friend's had a huge warehouse in Bayfield that crumpled in from the snow and ruined their boat and several vehicles stored inside. Our home is out in the open so the sunshine melts our snow or helps it to slide right off (by the way, because of that, we can no longer see out of the right side of our house!). Also, the skiing/snowboarding community is fascinating to me. It's a part of life that I had never been exposed to. It is a very expensive hobby but looks very fun. I don't really have to tell you the difference in CO and AL when it comes to snow.....you Alabamaians just be thankful the snow melts by lunchtime when it does snow!

DOGS-
Ok let me first say that you in Alabama love your dogs....I know you do BUT....here, the dogs are more of an active part of people's lives. What do I mean? Well, let's just say that if you went to Wal-Mart, 8 out of 10 cars that you look in will have a dog in it, year-around. Lots of people take their dogs with them wherever they go and I mean BIG dogs too. All dogs have to live inside here also because of the snow. The Humane Society is big here and they have dog parks you can take the dogs to. In AL, many have dogs but they are left at home most of the time. Course in the summer, you can't leave the dogs in your car in AL or they will suffocate! Those of you that know me well, know that I am not a big fan of dogs but I love our Lucee and I can see how dogs bring joy to people and help fight lonliness. She is always so happy to see us and longs to sit in our laps or snuggle up to you to sleep. Lucee got spayed on Monday and has done well this week recovering from her surgery. In CO, you don't have to worry with fleas because of the altitude and they don't have to be on heartworm medicine (don't know why though). It definitely blew our minds to see so many big dogs in every car you pass when we first moved here!!

COATS-
You can't just have one coat here, especially if you are a woman! You have to have a big warm coat for times you are outside working or playing. And you have to have a waterproof coat if you are going to play in the snow. Then you need a lightweight coat when you are exercising outside or in the evening in summertime. And then, you need a somewhat dressy looking coat for times you are dressed up and have to go out. So, can you imagine between the 5 of us, how many coats we have? And the sad part about it all is that we are from Alabama and none of us like to even wear coats so we only wear them when we absolutely have to!!

FOOD-
Ok..we all know that the South is known for it's fried food, right? The difference in food here is that people do not cook with as much fat which is a good thing I guess. Why haven't we all lost weight then? You can take the family out of Alabama but you can't take Alabama out of the family!!! They are very consumed with eating organic here also. We have 4 grocery stores here besides Wal-Mart and 2 of those 4 are all natural, organic stores. I'm not knocking eating organic, it's just too expensive for us to buy many organic foods. I'll throw in here how much we miss Arby's, Cici's Pizza, Olive Garden, and Chick-fil-a here!

Needing God's Favor

We are planning an addition of bible study rooms to the church which is very exciting, especially for the children and youth because they don't really have much space. God is soverign and in control and we're having to remind ourselves of this quite frequently! He has provided a Christian builder's group from Alabama to come this summer to provide all the labor and we are in the process of arranging housing for this group. I am excited that we know several of the people who are in this group that may be coming.
To build an addition in the state of Colorado is like maze. I can't begin to understand what all it entails but have heard that CO does not make it easy to just build. We were told in the beginning that approval for the building would only take 3 to 4 months by the Planning Commission. Last week, they relented on that and said it could take 12+ months. Of course our flesh wants to "freak" out about this but we must rely on the supernatural power of our Lord God Almighty! We ask that you join with us in asking for God's favor and provision in EVERY step in this process. We are currently collecting names of every one involved at all the different agencies so we can pray for them specifically, asking that they do what they can do to get all of our paperwork processed in time for the Alabama group to arrive on June 19th. Our GOD is bigger than all these hoops we are having to jump through and we will trust in HIM!
I am sharing this with you to covet your prayers and to report in the future how God's hands move in this situation. TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR ALL THE THINGS HE HAS DONE (and will do!)!!!!

Nails, Roofs, Skiis, and Weird-o's

Hello Everyone! We have had some gorgeous weather while most of you have had cold, snowy weather, I hear. Of course, we are not without snow....we will have snow until May I'm sure because there's so much of it but it has not snowed in about two weeks now. I have adjusted more to it this year and it doesn't bother me like it did...life just goes on. Plus I am getting out more with friends and not as lonely as I was last winter. With all that said, I would still prefer Alabama winter any day!

Haven's friend Tommie Jane had a birthday party on Saturday and they had their nails done at the local salon........

Too cute!! What you can't see is little hearts and polka dots on the nails. She is getting to where she's needing more attention and asking for play dates more because she's getting bored while the boys are at school. While I wasn't sure if she would need preschool, I am beginning to think that maybe next year, two days or so will be helpful in meeting both her socialization needs and academic needs (I not very successful with her teaching her for some reason :0). I am very proud though of the way she gets along with all her friends. She never fights with them and parents brag on how well she plays with their kids; perhaps this is because she is the 3rd child in the family and has always had to share with her brothers. She is a joy and is so happy-go-lucky!

We had a 4 day weekend so Friday the boys got creative and decided to play on the roof a bit! I know it sounds crazy but they are able to just walk up onto the roof from the snow below.....



**Note that they are in their shorts....just doesn't feel as cold here when the sun's out....

Mason has been working on a snow cave also.....

This is Ma inside the snow cave.....

I also took Landon out behind the house to cross country ski....he didn't quite enjoy this trip as well as the first time he went (he fell A LOT more!)

We had youth night Sunday night and had 12 this week! I had 5 in my women's group and we addressed the topic of CONFORMITY and how peer pressure is such a powerful force. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”...that's hard for teens to do but if they can find a friend (or group) willing to be transformed with them and it makes it so much easier. I pray that Mason an Landon will chose to not conform to the pattern of this world and will chose friends to support him in being transformed by the renewing of his mind.

Durango Mt. Resort had Education Days yesterday (which means discounted prices) so the boys got to go skiing there for the first time. Mason went with his friend Chance who bought his pass for his birthday gift. I was a nervous wreck because he was with much more experienced kids, going down HUGE hills but my friend Kristin (very experienced skiier) stayed along with Mason to help if needed. He (or we!) survived the day and of course he loved it! Landon attended ski school all day since this was his first time and he absolutely loved it and declared himself a "Perfect skiier"! He begged for an hour after he was done for us to let him skip school tomorrow and go.......GREAT!.....now my boys are in love with a sport that is WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!!

Above is Mason with Chance.....couldn't get pictures of them actually skiing because they are so far away from us but Kristin said she did take some of Mason while going down hill but I haven't seen them yet. What did Haven do during all this? She actually could have went to ski school also but did't insist so she gladly explored the grounds and got to go to Burger King to play in their play place. Here's some pics from her time at DMR....

It is with a heavy heart that I give you this next report.......Back last Spring, I talked in the blog about a little girl named Olivia who wanted to come to church so bad. She finally got to come a couple of times and you could truly see her little heart was so excited about learning about Jesus. Then she stopped coming. I asked you to pray that she would get to come to VBS and she did a time or two but then we haven't seen her since. We see her mom a lot and she just wears the weight of the world in her face.....just mad and sad looking all the time. Nancy witnessed to her one day and really thought that she (the mom) had accepted Christ. Unfortunately, we heard this weekend that Olivia was asked if she still came to our church, and she replied "No....my momma's afraid that I'll become a Christiasn weird-o so I can't go back". Going back to my earlier comment about conformity, I'll say I'm proud to be a weird-o if that makes me different in our world. However, it's so sad to see someone reject Christ. Our God is a lot bigger than her momma so pray along with me that both Olivia and her mom will realize their need for salvation and be set free from the bondage she wears in her face daily. This is the attitude we have to deal with over here....so different from the south! We covet your prayers as we try to reach these people for Christ.....love to you all!

Lori

Simple Pleasures

I took this idea from someone else's blog to just list some of the "simple pleasures" of life that I enjoy....so here goes!

Kisses from my children

Sleeping late

Calls from my friends

Hot showers

Sun shining down on a blanket of snow

Talking to people who live to honor God instead of themselves

Mike's home cooked meals

Getting into a bed that has been made up

Staying connected to friends and family on Facebook

Back rubs from my husband

The smell of clean laundry

Sunday afternoon naps

Having a mini van

Watching Mason play ball

Nightly calls to my mother

Seeing Landon give hugs to our older church members

Eating out

Digital cameras

Haven's happy-go-lucky attitude

and ANSWERED PRAYERS!

Thank you God for these Simple Pleasures in life! I give You Glory for each and every one!

What are your simple pleasures in life? Leave me note because I would love to know!

God is Working

I just wanted to share what God has been doing in my life. Mason's best friend here is Chance Hine and his mom's name is Jennifer. Her husband left back in August to work in Phoenix (9 hours away) but he comes home on the weekend once a month or so to see them. Jennifer is a christian and says that her husband is also but they have not been in church consistantly. Since Ritchie left, Jennifer has been coming to our church which for her, is a 35 to 40 minute drive. Although I hate that her family is separated, God has used this in both Jennifer and Ritchie's life to draw them closer to Him. Ritchie has started reading the bible which he hardly ever has done before. Jen is a teacher and is a very deep thinker (and I must mention...very opinionated!). Her exposure to hearing more of God's word lately is changing her and I can see it in her. What is neat about all this is when I told Jen that we were starting youth night back on Sunday nights, every other week, she asked me if it would be possible for the mothers to have a bible study while the teens are in youth!! God just handed that opportunity to me with no effort on my part whatsoever!

So I have some BIG opportunities before me! Jen has already invited several of the other moms from Bayfield (Note: Bayfield- not Vallecito) who are planning on driving up every other week to bring their teens and stay for bible study. God has led me to lead a study on how to raise our children to be men and women of God. I praise God for this opportunity and pray that He will guide me every step of the way.

The church is growing slowly and from what we have heard, the reputation of the church is being restored in this community. For those of you who may not know, the church went thru a split a year before we came to it and you know how "talk" hurts the church. Mike and the great character he has, has developed relationships in the community that has made an impact on how people view our church. I praise God for giving me a husband who "talks the talk and walks the walk" as the old saying goes. It is still tough to be in a place where nature and alcoholism is worshipped much more than our God. However, God is still here with us and is blessing!

This past weekend was very busy for us. Durango has "Snowdown" weekend every year on this weekend which is funny entertainment, games, parades, etc. to give people something to do and off set cabin fever. While most of it is for adults and is not something you want your kids a part of, they did host a 3 on 3 basketball tournament this weekend and Mason's team won the 6th grade level! On Saturday, he played 5 games and they pretty much stomped all the teams.

For Mason's birthday celebration, he invited his two closest friends to go ice skating on Sunday. Here's a pic of Mason with Chance and Zac.......

Neither of them could ice skate very well which is surprising to me, that an Alabama boy could skate circles around them! However, they can snowboard and ski! It is a blessing that Mason is close to these two guys whose parents I know pretty well. Chance belongs to Jennifer and Ritchie and Zac's dad is the pastor of the largest church in Bayfield. I pray that Mason always makes wise choices on who is friends are......"Bad company corrupts good character" 1Cor 15:33

February Birthdays

We want to wish a very Happy Birthday this month to

Kayci Cummings (our niece)- Feb 1st
Faith Richardson (our niece)- Feb 5th
Chandler Wisener (Mason's BF from Cullman)- Feb 10th
Brent Lawson (our nephew)- Feb 24th
Bonnie Bowman (our friend from Cullman) - Feb 26th

You are all special to us and we love you! Hope your birthdays are special!