A Thankful Heart

Tonight Daniel thanked Jesus for "the fingernails on the dinosaurs" and "Diplotocus bones" -- I think as a result of the dinosaur museum we visited in Canon City this weekend.

They're Finally On!!

I realize that no one but my sister really wants to see pictures of my teeth, but it's exciting stuff for me so I'm going to write about it! I have HATED my teeth for as long as I can remember... so after several years of looking at and considering orthodontics, I finally got braces!

The BEFORE Picture

~ I never had a permanent right lateral (the tooth between your front and canine) so my mid-line is off, plus the fact that it just looks silly with that tooth missing.

~ The lateral on the left side will be removed because it is deformed and my canines will be pulled around in place of the laterals. When they are in place, I will see a cosmetic dentist who will reshape them to look like laterals.

~ It turns out I have slight TMJ, which may explain my occassional migranes. Correcting my bite will hopefully get rid of those. So, it's not just vanity for which I am doing this!

At the mercy of Dr. Karlin... who is wonderful, by the way!

If you live in the south Denver area and need braces:

Karlin Orthodontics

Highlands Ranch Town Center

303.470.9488

(I said I'd give free advertising for letting me take pictures!)

His assistant, Erin is equally as wonderful. Every appointment has been on time and I always feel like they have been waiting all day for me and are excited to see me. It's good going to a place I like since I will be seeing them every four weeks for the next two years.

After getting my wisdom teeth removed and a crown replaced, the first thing Dr. Karlin did was put "spacers" in my molars. These are thick, rubber chunks that go between the teeth in order to create space for metal bands to go around them. I had to wear them for a week and they were terrible!! Everyone says that is the worst part. So far, that's true because my braces went on last Wednesday and it hasn't been too bad. The only thing is that because they are changing my bite, I can't bring my back molars together making it impossible to grind stuff. I'm eating a lot of yogurt and drinking smoothies! But they said that should go away in a week and I'll learn how to chew again.

All I can say about it so far is that braces are PAINFUL, ANNOYING and EXPENSIVE, but I'm happy to have it started. I better look like Christie Brinkley when this is all over with!

Hiking on a Summer Day

We have been able to do a lot of hiking this Summer. Caleb is finally able to sit up in a backpack, which lets us go for longer hikes. A couple weekends ago we went hiking at Reynolds Park near Conifer, CO. The hike was only four miles round trip. Not that long until you put a kid on your back, start at 8,000 ft. elevation and gain another 800 ft. before reaching the top! It was a great work out!! In fact, Patrick and I had a sitter coming that night to watch the kids so we could go out, but we were SO tired, we cancelled and just stayed home.

Patrick and Daniel enjoying a little rest at the top of the mountain.

The view from where we stopped to picnic was incredible and worth the climb. We could see all the way to Pike's Peak! I packed a wonderful, tasty meal if I do say so myself, but I've decided that for the next big hike I am getting all the light-weight, pre-packed food from REI. It was heavy!!

While we were hiking we came across some areas where the bark had been scraped off the pine trees. Patrick explained to Daniel that those were stops where the elk or deer had been rubbing their antlers, called an "Elk (or deer) Rub." Later on while we were eating lunch, Daniel picked up two sticks on his own and started rubbing the pine tree. He turned to me and said, "Look, Mommy, I making a elk rub!"

Caleb can't sit up well on his own yet, and I didn't want him rolling down the mountain so he just had to watch us eat from the comfort of his packpack! He was his happy, usual self!

Caleb finally got free and had some fun time with Daddy!

Every little boy needs a good stick!

Caleb has figured out the best way to get up the mountain. Now... it they only made adult-sized backpacks -- that's the way I'd go!

Meet Our Friends...

Here are some of our friends in Colorado:

Hollie & Jeremy with their two girls. Daniel has a thing for older women, so he loves their oldest daughter to pieces!

Daniel's friend Jonah eating an icecream cone on our deck. I watch Jonah and his little brother once a week. Daniel enjoys this playtime with another boy.

Jennifer and Neil are new to Colorado. They introduced us to our church, Adullam. Their son, Cole, likes to pose about as much as Daniel does!

Heather and Jeremy, our first Colorado friends!!

We are so blessed with the people in our lives here!! We have many more friends, we just don't have pictures of them...

Memorial Day 2007

How many times do you have to do something for it to become a tradition? Last year we met my parents "in the middle" between Idaho and Colorado for Memorial Day weekend. And this year we decided to do it again. I think next year it becomes annual! After last year's somewhat miserable experience in rainy, windy Hardin, Montana, we decided to shoot for someplace a little more south... and with a little more to do... People from Florida don't realize it's still FREEZING north of the Colorado State Line in May! We decided to meet in Cody, Wyoming, about 50 miles east of Yellowstone National Park.

It's about an eight hour drive for us so we drove half way on Wednesday night and half way on Thursday morning. The slower trip let us stop in Thermopolis to visit the Wyoming Dinosaur Museum. Most dinosaur skeletons/fossils found in North America have been found in Wyoming. I thought Daniel would be scared of the skeletons, but he loved them! And knew exactly which ones were which --- T-rex, Diplotocaus, Stegosaraus, Triceratops -- He's very smart!

Mommy and Caleb in front of Triceratops

Patrick and Daniel in front of Tyrannasaraus Rex -- the only thing Daniel did not want to do was touch T-rex's teeth!

We stayed at the Cody KOA. They have camping cabins so we weren't really roughing it. And they had wi-fi and served Starbucks coffee. But we still had to cook outside and go shower in the ablution block. The first day was very cold, windy and rainy and we all moped around thinking it was going to be a repeat of last year. The weather was so bad, Patrick and my dad canceled their golf tee time! We spent the cold day in town for lunch where we all had buffalo and elk sandwiches -- yum! -- and went to a small museum because they had model trains -- one of Daniel's favorite things!

Caleb all bundled up for the cold weather.

On Saturday, the weather cleared and was perfect the rest of the stay. Patrick and Dad got their golf game in. Mom took the boys to town. And I got to read and play Sudoku! In the afternoon, Patrick, Daniel and I went for a hike at Heart Mountain, but I forgot the camera so no pictures... but it was gorgeous! I really think Wyoming is one the most beautiful states. And there is a horse for every ten acres so I love that! That night we had a wonderful cookout of steak, corn, salad, mom's mango and pineapple (that's a whole other blog) and s'mores.

Daniel eating s'mores... yummy!

We decided to go to Yellowstone on Sunday. And all I can say is this -- If you have never been to Yellowstone, YOU MUST GO! Yellowstone is the coolest place in the world and I wish we had spent a week there. I think we are going to stay closer to the park next year so we can see more things. There is just no other place like it. We saw a moutain goat, moose, elk, deer, cyote and buffalo. No grizzlies... although it is a little weird walking around and knowing they are there...

Daddy and Caleb at our picnic. WARNING: Do NOT buy the prepacked sandwiches from the Yellowstone General Store. They were gross! Even though we didn't eat the sandwich, we enjoyed the beautiful spot we stopped at for lunch.

Mommy and Daniel (who can't be slowed down to pose) in front of Yellowstone Lake. Because most of Yellowstone sits in a volcano's caldera, the sand around the lake is very black. It's very pretty!

The highlight of Yellowstone for sure, was seeing Old Faithful. It was so amazing to see something you have heard about your whole life. She is grand, spectacular and beautiful and there is just nothing else like it! We showed up just as she was blowing and had to wait another 70 minutes. The park can predict within 10 minutes when she will go off and post it so you know when to be at the grandstand. We took bets on the actual time and there is still dispute as to whether Patrick or Mom is the winner. There are about 150 geyers in the park and the area around Old Faithful is covered with small geyers and boiling caldrons. They were beautiful with crystal clear bubbling water.

Patrick looking at the Morning Star cauldron

A crystal blue, steaming lagoon -- these lagoons were everywhere and we really wanted to jump in one and go for a soak.

One, two, three! We finally got to see Old Faithful from beginning to end. The whole show lasts about five minutes. Before the big spout goes off, she throws a couple, short teaser spouts in the air. Everytime she did that, Daniel would turn to Patrick and say, "Geyser broken, Daddy. It's broken." Three weeks later and he is still very concerned about the 'broken' geyser.

We had a wonderful weekend with my family, and if you ever get the chance, you must go to Yellowstone!

Thirty Years!

Wow! I turned thirty today! A new decade. A milestone. I feel twenty-two! People who are in their thirties are old to me. But every once in awhile I look in the mirror and have to acknowledge I have crow's feet. And all the stuff I put on my face before I go to bed at night has the term "anti-aging" somewhere in the name. So far, thirty is wonderful. I had a wonderful start to this next decade of my life...

On Saturday, the day before my birthday, we decided to have a family day so we took Daniel and Caleb to the Denver Children's Museum. Patrick's parents gave us a year membership for Christmas and we finally cashed it in.

Daniel had a blast! I think we could have left him in the train room and not returned for him for three days. And we decided that Caleb is just the cutest, little engineer ever!! Most of the rooms have "dress up" pieces that go along with the theme. The train room had engineer hats, which Caleb and Daniel loved wearing.

Daniel loved playing in the mock locker room with the basketball court and tumbing mats. In one part of the museum he dressed up as a chipmunk and climbed around an artifical forest and down into an ant hill. There are so many things to do at the Children's Museum. There was no way we could get to all of it so we'll be going back for sure!!

Caleb didn't get a whole lot out of the museum, just watched the action from his stroller. Maybe in a few months he'll take advantage of the crawlers room. He loved staring at the fishies at the Downtown Aquarium though where we went for lunch. I swear that shark smacked his lips a couple times as he headed toward us. Daniel is still fascinated with everything having to do with the sea so eating at the Aquarium was a real treat for him!

On Sunday, Patrick had organized a dinner party for me. We went to Sonota Sushi -- a huge sacrifice of love for Patrick since he hates sushi. I had over ten friends there. Suprisingly, four of them are friends I had in Florida that have migrated their way to Colorado. Later we headed back to our house for cake and ice cream!!

I have SO much to be thankful for! A wonderful, loving husband (he is also flying best friend from highschool out to spend some time with me in the next couple weeks!) -- two beautiful boys that love their mommy to pieces -- great friends -- awesome family -- God whom I have had a relationship with for much of my thirty years! Life just keeps getting better and better!!

New Number, New Home

Patrick and I have been in Colorado for 1 year, 3 months and 15 days.

We just changed our Florida cell phone numbers to Colorado numbers. Yeah, it's about time... Our new friends here in Colorado are thrilled because it means they don't have to dial long distance anymore to ask if we want to grab a bite to eat.

Me, I'm sad.

I miss my old number. I miss saying, "Area code four-zero-seven... yeah, I know... it's an Orlando number..."

Somehow, hanging onto 407 allowed me to hang on to what we left in Florida -- my family, longtime friends, people we ministered with and to, our first house where we brought home our first child, a church we love -- basically everything that represented comfort in my life. And I like being comfortable. I don't like new things. I want to know I have a safety net if things get shaky.

407 meant I might still be able to call my sister at the last minute and ask if she wants to get sushi for lunch -- even though it would be impossilbe to get there on time. With 407, I could still call my baby's first and my favorite pediatrician to ask for advice -- even though he wouldn't give it without seeing the child first. 407 was a symbol of my comfortable life. It meant I still had a tie to all that we left when we moved from Florida.

Changing my cell phone number cut that tie. I'm in Colorado for good. It's time to start building my home... It's time to make longtime friends here and find someone to go grab sushi with. It's time to find people here to minister with and to. It's time to like my boys' pediatrician. It's time to choose to love a church here because this is where I am right now. It's not comfortable, but maybe that's a good thing.

Changing my old Florida number to a Colorado one is teaching me something about my view of what home really is. Comfort is home. Home is where you are comfortable. But our home really isn't on this earth, is it?

Jesus said, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head," (Mt. 8:20) and we are called to live our lives like Jesus. Last night I told Patrick I was homesick, but I wasn't really sure where "home" was. Being a missionary kid, I know what it is to constantly battle the feeling of unsettledness -- not knowing where home is while simultaneously turning any plot of ground and roof into a place of comfort. Is home New Guinea? Is it Florida? The house with the mortgage payment? Where my husband is from? Is it where I have the most friends? I honestly don't know...

However, I do know this... my for real home is Heaven. It's where, when someday I stand before my Father, the King, there will be no looking back... no ties to my shabby, sad excuse for comfort... no whistful daydreaming of the past... I'll check my cell phone at the door, regardless of its area code, and hear Him say, "Finally, welcome home!"