A chance to make my sister's day

Anyone remember this?

If you’ve been around here for a while, you might remember that 2012 was the summer that we lived in a cute little cabin with a tree growing up through the middle of its roof. Hubby was one of the staff for Colorado Leadership Training, a program that combines an amazing summer job with mentoring, deep relationships, and opportunities for outreach.

There were some scary wildfires.
We even had some crazy car trouble that made for a memorable first anniversary.
The sunsets were jaw-droppingly gorgeous against the mountains each night.
And we met more amazing people in one summer than I thought possible.

THIS summer, it’s my little sister’s turn!

The day after her highschool graduation this May, Kat headed north for a summer of working full time for the YMCA as a family coordinator. Which basically means she has the coolest job ever: she leads nighttime hikes, plays games with kids, and gives nature tours.

Her limited time off is filled with leadership training, new friends, bouldering, and running trails in the early mornings.

When her pictures pop up on my news feed, I can almost smell the mountains.

Those highschool dreads had become part of her in my mind, so her new close-cropped hair takes me by surprise. But it's adorable. She is a gamine, blue-eyed beauty with a boyish halo of blond.

One thing I remember from our summer at LT is how special real mail became.

Cell phone reception at the 'Y is almost non-existent, and Wi-Fi hotspots are small and crowded. When you miss your family and friends at home, there is nothing quite like finding a fat letter at the tiny post office, your name written in loopy, familiar cursive.

If you know my lil' sis and want to make her day, write her a note! (If you don't know her, consider writing a note to someone else!)

Here is her summer address:

[Staffer's Name] - EPC Staff

PO Box 20700

Estes Park, CO 80511

My 25th Birthday!

This post is now more than one month overdue. *sheepish grin* Who knew that being one-quarter century old would bring with it so many time-consuming responsibilities?

As a special calendarial treat, my birthday fell on the long, Labor Day weekend. So of course we had to celebrate with a road trip to see my family. Bank holidays cannot be wasted when one is a bank teller!

We drove...

Upon arrival we devoured my mom's FABULOUS gluten-free fruit tart instead of birthday cake.

We finished the evening with an excellent indy film that was simultaneously edgy and heartwarming. Not the best for young kids, but the perfect discussion-sparker for highschool and college students.  If you haven't seen the movie rendition of Don Miller's popular book, Blue Like Jazz, then you should!

The next morning, we enjoyed a traditional tea-party breakfast that is usually reserved for Christmas...

And took a few whacks at a pinata with some good old friends before driving south!

Oh, and I can't forget the awesome present my hubby gave me. Yes, I have caved and joined the free-trade granola brigade. I am now the proud owner of Chacos.  You can blame Colorado.

Long overdue post: Craft Shop Visit

Newsflash: Cherise is alive!  

I took a hiatus from the blog world for the past two weeks or so. It wasn't intentional; it simply got pushed into the back corners of life by...well, life. 

I flew back to Texas

I spent a weekend with my wonderful family

I applied to a slew of new jobs

I painted a picture

I spent some time to soul-search

And my part-time job has entered the yearly 50-hour per week phase of planning known as "Staff Retreat Season"

Whew! 

If life slows down, I might possibly be able to blog about these happenings sometime. But, now that she has received her present, here is a long-overdue post about the day I visited the YMCA craft shop in Colorado to make something special for my sister: 

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The pathway to the door is a work of art! Green...

Blue...

Purple...

Pink...

It's something I'd love to do with my non-existent kids someday in our yard! 

Once inside, I faced a dazzling array of beads: two ten-foot tables simply LOADED with them. I chose my favorites, and this was the finished product:

I wish I had gone back at least once before I left. Oh well...maybe I'll have the chance someday. :)

Flower Hike!

Zelda showing off a stalk of Tall Chiming Bells.

Gravel crunched thoughtfully under our shoes as we followed her khaki vest down the trail. Her practiced eye probed the brush on either side, looking for blooming bits of color to point out. Every few yards, she stopped, gathered us close, and explained the minute differences between the bracklets or petal formation of two close flower cousins.

I felt like I was eight years old again, treasure-hunting for beautiful flowers, rocks, and trees the way we always did in our homeschooling days. I was a very romantic little girl, almost Anne-of-Green-Gables-esque. For me, every tiny petal was something to pull out the magnifying glass and squeal over.


And even though I'm nearly two decades older, I admit unashamedly that I still squeal on the inside. As Zelda called our attention to nearly imperceptible wonders every few yards, I got that old familiar thrill of amazement that things so tiny could be so beautiful. And I couldn't help but worship my incredibly creative God.


I hope you feel some of the same thrill as you enjoy the pictures! :)

Crab Spider. These tiny white guardians wait on the flower until an unsuspecting insect comes along. Then...GULP!

The beautiful leaf of a member of the Geranium family. 

Narrow-leaved Penstemon. These beauties are everywhere!

Prairie Evening Primrose. I found it at around 11:00 in the morning, but only because it was in the shade of a large tree. 

Fremont's Geranium. 

Richardson's Geranium. This one is like the one above, except that, as the story goes, "Richard wouldn't be caught dead wearing pink".

Canadian Thistle. In the top picture, you can see the beautiful fuschia head, which resembels a sea anemone. The next photo shows the back of the flower, which tells you why my hand was not in the picture. :)

I have always loved the striking black and yellow of the Black-eyed Susan. This flower is actually composed of over fifty tiny flowers: black disc flowers on the circular central disc, and yellow ray flowers arranged like individual petals around them. 

I can't remember the name of this lovely five-pointed star, but isn't it beautiful?

This clustered white flower, named Yarrow, has a special secret. If you mash it's leaves to make a paste with some water and put it on a cut, it can stop the bleeding!

Sprawling Daisy. 

Common Evening Primrose. 

And I'm ending it with the sweet-smelling Ponderosa Pine...even though it's not a wildflower. :)  

Instagram-y fun

Ever since I first discovered the Instagram app on my smart phone, my photos have reached a new eschelon of coolness!  (Ok, well at least I think so.)  I love the daily deliberation between the Sutro, Lo-fi and Valencia filters, and the finished product seems to elevate everyday scenes to something I might see in a magazine. 

At the very least, I'm taking more pictures, which is always a good thing. 

Last Wednesday, I walked with a small group of thirty others into Chicago's, a cheerful hole in the wall that serves burgers, gyros, and pizza. The murals on the wall portrayed the Rocky Mountains in the best colors of every season, and the kitchen was only an arm's length away from where we stood. This man was fully absorbed in his work, brow furrowed with intensity as he mixed and poured and clanged dishes. I wondered how his day was going. 

A few days ago, hubby and I stole away from the YMCA for an afternoon date at a coffee shop. Like kids hiding away in a tree house, we took our drinks up the twisty stairs to a cluttered and cozy upper nook above the shop. They had checkers. We played four games, sipped our mochas, and let the world turn without us. I love that man so much. 

You know what else I love?  Skype!  Blessings on the inventor, whoever he or she was. I have missed my friends so much this summer, and last week I had a fabulous two hours chatting with this wonderful girl. Love you, Lissy!

Most cities have traffic jams, but I bet an ELK JAM is unique to this part of the country. This herd of thirty elk was leisurely crossing the road to Estes Park last Wednesday. 

Every once in a while, God gives me "valentines" through nature. Check out this fluorescent green lichen heart that I spotted on a rock the day we flew balloons. 

Tiny bits of colored glass and rock are sometimes as good as a canvas when I get the urge for self expression. (I can't show the finished product here because it's a birthday present for my sweet 22-year-old sister, but I promise--I will once she gets her package!)

And...I saved the best for last: the Trash & Tray Creature! The staff that work in the dining room will sometimes create odd structures out of fruit and send them through the tray conveyor to us. This one had quite the personality.

That's all for now! :)

Balloons over the Rockies

What weighs you down? 

So many things settle with undue weight into the corners of our hearts, puncturing our tank of joy and contentment with devastating precision: 

Worries about our families

Fears of an unknown, uncontrollable future

Hurts from words spoken years ago

Hurts from words that might have healed, but went unspoken

Secret shame

Insecurities that taunt us from the mirror or our GPA

Tight finances

In the desert with a complaining group of nomads, God used symbolism to seal the significance of deep truth in their hearts. Physical rituals like washing, celebrating, and sacrificing made unseen promises tangible, concrete, and less easily forgotten. 

So my life group leader got a great idea. 

We would write out the worries, fears, hurts, shames and insecurities in a letter to Jesus. Then, we would attach them to helium globes and literally release them to Him from a mountain top. 

When we found that our letters were too heavy for our little balloons, we took a marker and improvised. :)

We shared our burdens, gave them to Him as a group. As we let the plastic ribbons slip from our hands, we felt weightless in the freedom of surrender. 

We are spiritual beings, but we are also physical. These two aspects of our nature are so enmeshed that we cannot be wholly well if one is broken. Doctors and psychologists and ministers have long known that cheerful patients heal faster and that depression increases the risk of all kinds of life-threatening diseases. When we physically lift the edges of our mouths there is a corresponding glimmer of joy in our hearts. When we physically place our hands over our breast pockets and sing, we feel a soulful camaraderie with a nation of others doing the same. 

All that to say, I personally need physical reminders of spiritual truths. I need to kneel--it humbles me. I need to sing out--it reminds my heart of the reasons for singing. 

And sometimes I need to literally release my burdens to the Lord in a balloon. 

Wanna be challenged?

I do.

Every Tuesday and Thursday night here in Colorado, I sit for the challenge in Hyde Chapel. Speakers from all over the country have come to teach us about leadership and about Jesus, our ultimate example of how to follow and lead well.

I have been a believer in Jesus for a good chunk of my life, but I have been so humbled to realize how much I still have to learn about following him well. If I say I follow Jesus, I should have the same attitude about life that he had.

In everything.

Every teaching is uploaded to this Colorado LT Tumblr for us to review and share. So I'm sharing! Please check them out and tell me which ones were your favorites.

International Dinner!

One of my favorite parts of working at the YMCA, hands down, is interacting with the large population of international staff. 

Many of them are studying Tourism Science in their home countries, and they come to the USA excited to work at a resort and to practice their English. Despite these similarities, their stories are each so unique. To spend time with any of them is to become a student. 

To help us get to know them better, the LT program organizes an International Dinner each summer. Think of a delicious outdoor pot-luck show-and-tell, and you'll have a pretty accurate picture of what it was like. The international students cook traditional foods from their own countries, and the pride they have in the finished dishes is obvious. 

The sun was barely up on Friday before our cabin's kitchen had been turned into the Brazilian's preparation zone for the night's festivities. (Remember the awesome Brazilian friends we met after that guy's concussion two weeks ago? They have joined us for a lot of activities, and now we're pretty tight!) Chicken was bubbling in herbs on the little gas stove, and Vanessa was mixing a rich concoction of condensed milk and chocolate to make caramel chocolate balls for dessert. 

Brazilian chicken appetizers, breaded and fried

Erika, making Colombian arepas from corn

As evening fell and we arrived at the pavilion, moist, savory air enveloped us and made our mouths water. Delicious vapor was rising from metal pans and from every plate, and excited accents - American, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Jamaican, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, and Bulgarian - echoed against the concrete floors and ceiling. 

As music played from a corner speaker, good conversations flowed at every table. There were coconut drops and two sorts of chicken from Jamaica, seafood and rice from China, fresh lime cevice from Turkey, and a liquour-drenched coconut cake that disappeared in about two minutes. After eating the same two-week menu at the Spruce cafeteria for the past month and a half, my taste buds were in a heaven of flavor! 

Afterward, an impromptu dance party happened, led by the Jamaicans and my sweet Colombian friend, Erika! (Yes, that's me in the gray shirt.)

Please ask God to make us faithful to these new friendships. We want, above all, for them to experience the love of Jesus and to have a personal friendship with him that will last long after they go home. 

More Than We Imagined

I am floored. I am blown away. I don't know whether it's more appropriate to jump up and down or to kneel--so I'm sitting here, shaking my head in amazement as I type. Have you ever asked God for something so huge that you felt nervous to ask, only to have Him completely dwarf your request with His generosity? Then you can understand. 

Yesterday, JC called an old friend. Just to chat, catch up, reconnect. I have always been amazed and challenged by my husband's talent for maintaining friendships through the years. This one in particular stretches back to high school.

New Isuzu transmission

As they traded recent stories, hubby shared the epic saga of last week's anniversary adventure: the car trouble, the attempts to fix it, the late-night rescue by our friend, the need for a complete transmission rebuild, and the reasonable price we found at a local shop in Denver.

We have been car-less ever since returning to Estes while our poor Isuzu has been in the shop, but we were just so thankful that the price was less than the $2,500 we were originally quoted. Yikes! We were thankful for savings to cover it, thankful that good friends came to pick us up, and thankful that to live at the Y, where walking is not only feasible but fun. Just a good story for a good laugh later.

But at the end of the conversation, our friend said, "I know you didn't ask, but I'm looking at our bank accounts. We have some money set aside for stuff like this..."

Yes. Our friend paid for our new transmission.

Not only did he pay for it; the amount he and his wife had saved to give away was the exact amount quoted to us by the repair shop.

I'm realizing all over again that God is bigger, richer, and more generous than I had imagined or hoped for. Here I was, asking for a fix that we could afford, never imagining that He wanted to do something like this!

If you're facing something that looks like it will drain you financially, emotionally, or in some other way, I hope that this can encourage you too!

The God who holds you is bigger than that giant.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Fire Update: much closer to home

Remember the High Park Fire I wrote about two weeks ago?  Well, it's still burning, and it has consumed 81,190 acres so far, including 191 homes.  My heart breaks for the people who've lost everything, and thousands more have been evacuated from the area close to Fort Collins. The angry pinkish cloud of smoke is part of the visual landscape now, rising above the mountains that encircle our valley. For a recent news story, click here.

Despite the visible plume of smoke, the High Park Fire is far enough away from the YMCA to be more of a curiosity than a threat.

But yesterday, the threat of fire hit much closer to home.


Hubby and I were cleaning dishes full-throttle in the kitchen when we were called in to an unplanned staff meeting. There, they told us that a new fire had begun, this one only a mile away from the YMCA park entrance! A year-round staff member had already lost his cabin, and other homes were threatened. 


The good news was that the wind was in our favor, blowing the fire away from the YMCA grounds. Firefighters were already battling the blaze from the ground and the air, and we could hear helicopters buzzing overhead.

After our shift, we stood at the top of the hill near our cabin. From that vantage point we could see the flames and smoke mingling orange and gray at the other end of the valley.

View of the fire from our hill.

Just to be safe, we packed our backpacks with essentials and valuables before hiking back down to the administration building. By then, the smoke was already lessening and the flames were no longer visible. A news article from last night said that the fire was in "mop up" stage, fully contained, and no longer a threat to the YMCA or to Estes Park.

I have been to Colorado many times in the past, and I have never seen the state so parched. Last summer, they had a drought equivalent to the one experienced by my home state of Texas in the past few years, and the trees and ground are ripe tinder for fires. Please pray for Colorado, especially for the firefighters and people who have lost their homes. 

The Point of Deserts

"And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you." 

(Deuteronomy 8:2-5)

Everyone in the LT program has been using this book to study the life of Jesus this summer as our example of leadership. Even though the stories of Jesus' life have been part of my personal fiber since toddler-hood, I've found myself challenged in new ways and fascinated by details that I never saw before.

We were studying Jesus' relationship with the Holy Spirit, and I had just read about his 40-day stint in the desert without food.

In his humanness, he got hungry. He got thirsty. After 40 days, he was probably sunburned, with dry, swollen lips that cracked when he answered his tempter those three times. But what had Jesus said in the desert?  "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Huh...sounds like Deuteronomy.

And it was after that desert experience that "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee" (Luke 4:14).    

Many Christians--me included!--have often lived for the "mountaintop experiences": the times when life feels easy and joyful, God feels closer than ever, and it's easy to trust that He is good. Oh yeah, I like those.
But deserts?  Blech.  Just like real deserts, desert times in our lives are hot, sticky and uncomfortable. They're often lonely, seem endless, or even pointless. Parts of my life feel very desert-like right now, and it's been tough, stressful, and discouraging. 


But Deuteronomy says that "God led you these forty years in the wilderness" and Jesus was "led by the Spirit" into the desert. God doesn't do pointless things. 


But why?  
"...that he might humble you...
...testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would obey his commandments..."

Ok, yeah, I do want to be humbled. I need that, Lord. But this is painful! What if my needs for friendship, acceptance, or financial provision go unmet?

"...and he let you hunger and fed you with manna...that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."


Am I willing to feel the hunger of not having what I think I need if it means that God can feed me in His way?
Am I willing to get filled from an unexpected source, just like manna was for them?

Maybe this is the point of a desert--to learn complete dependence on the One who is the real source of life.

God, if that's what you're doing, you can keep me here as long as you need to. I trust you. After all, you went through a desert too.

P.S.
Coincidentally, this summer, hubby will be co-leading a workshop entitled "Beauty in Pain". More related posts to come, I'm sure. Oh, the irony. 

A Wild First Anniversary

As I typed that title, I realized that it could easily be misunderstood. If it helps, just insert the word "memorable", "unexpected", or "ridiculously crazy". Because those words certainly apply. 

As mentioned in an earlier post, my man and I had made some pretty awesome plans to stay at a ski resort after I picked him up at the airport Sunday afternoon. Apparently those places have awesome deals in the summertime!

We were so happy to see each other at the baggage claim! But when we got in the car, we were less happy to see a new light flashing on our dashboard. Our transmission fluid was low. Uh oh. 


[Hubby, the take-action man] "Quick--look up an auto parts store. We need to take care of this pretty quickly."
 [Me looking at my phone] "ok....here's one that looks close."

We arrived and were about to make a left turn into the parking lot when...the car refused to shift into drive. So close! Some kind guys helped push us the remaining few yards.

The next four hours were a hilarious comedy of errors:

• I bought transmission fluid, but it was for a different type of car. 
• We next bought the right fluid and lifted the hood, but there seemed to be a cap for every type of fluid EXCEPT transmission fluid. 
• It turns out that our car doesn't have access to the transmission from the hood area. Instead, you have to craw under the car, unscrew a bolt in the pan, and use a hand pump to get fluid in. 

Getting under our car. I felt like a grease monkey!

• I crawled under, but the nuts we had were too small for the bolt. 
• Got the right nut, but the ratchet was too short/I was too weak to turn it. 
• Got a longer ratchet. 
• Took off the bolt...and transmission fluid poured out! Oh noo! Lesson learned: the car needs to be running so that the fluid stays in the turbines. 
• Hose was too large for the hole. 

Hand pump we tried to use

• Smaller hose didn't have a good seal (aka: big mess)
• Broke the pump because the fluid was so thick.
• Finally pumped about two quarts in. Yay!!!  
• Let's try driving! Umm...it will only go into reverse. 

After consideration, we decided against driving backwards three hours to our resort.

By that time, the sun was down, we were hungry, and we realized that there was little chance of a rental place being open.

We suddenly remembered a good friend who happens to live in Denver. Maybe...?  Yes!  She came to our rescue, let us stay at her house and use her bed, shower, and car! So much better than sleeping in our broken car in the Autozone parking lot. We felt so incredibly loved, and we had a wonderful visit!

The next day was our anniversary. We used her car, got a tow truck to a local repair shop that quoted us a reasonable price, and found a rental place.

Then, we picked her up from work and all three of us went to see The Avengers in 3D!  (totally recommend it. :)  )

Now, this is a crazy story, and it might seem like everything that could have gone wrong did. But as hubby and I reviewed the day on our way to the resort, we noticed how God had really protected, provided, and given us wisdom!

We could have broken down in the middle of nowhere. Instead, we broke down within yards of an autoparts store.
We could have had to push it ourselves, but those guys helped us.
The guys who worked at Autozone were so friendly and helpful. They even loaned us tools and helped us pump!
We were actually laughing and having fun the whole time we worked on the car. Not stressed!
Our friend, "Aladon", rescued us and we had a great visit!
We had a free tow service.
We got a recommendation to a good repair shop that didn't insist on selling us an expensive warranty.
Our emergency fund was enough to cover the repair!
And...(this is the icing on the cake!)...our resort let us move the reservation, allowing us to stay for two nights even though we had technically been no-shows the night our car broke down!
We had a great, relaxing time at the resort, and then some good friends came to get us and bring us back to Estes Park after we dropped off the rental. 


An anniversary celebration that has no glitches or snags and is full of chocolate, romance and flowers is really nice. Really really nice. 


But this first anniversary felt like a celebration of the real life we share with each other. We're messy, things break and don't go as planned. But God is good, and we have fun. :)

The sunset on our way to the resort.