THE BIG 7-0...

Just got back from a roadtrip for my mother's birthday.  Today is the big 7-0!  I think she looks pretty awesome for 70, don't you?

I bought her this adorable crown and made her wear it today:

Can you guess where we went?

It's 5 hours north of OKC...

It was a lot of fun and I can't believe I had never been there before!  More about it tomorrow.
  Time to survey the plants, laundry and dishes situation...all the fun stuff the family leaves for Moms to do!  :(  But I'm so glad I got to take my mother and sister and just do some girl stuff!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY...

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, 

and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 

For kings, and for all that are in authority; 

that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour" 

(I Timothy 2:1-3). 

SEVENTEEN...

and he's not my baby anymore!  Glad we are past the first year of driving with him!  Thanks to God for no accidents (we'll be praying about that one for a while still) and only one ticket and trip to traffic court.  He's a sensitive, hardworking kid and is blessed with lots of good friends.  He definitely keeps us on our toes but we love him!

What does a 17 year old want for his birthday?  

An Eno, of course...do you know what that is?

A sweet girl to wake him up at 7:30 a.m. (truth be told, I knew nothing about this!)

Some of momma's home cookin:  Meatloaf, Green Bean Casserole, and Cheesy Potatoes.

And a few friends to pose weird for some birthday pics.

P.S.  If you didn't know, an ENO is a hammock. 

P.P.S. Hammocking is all the rage around here!

LANDSCAPING TIP FOR THE DAY...

Never plant a fruit tree near your driveway.

It makes a nasty mess when you drive over the fruit.

Really nasty.

You've been warned!

SUMMIT PARTY...

What:  Summit Mt. Ptarmigan
When:  June 20, 2012, 4:30 a.m. - ?
Where:  Pike National Forest
Why: Because it's there and you paid for this torture
         To challenge yourself physically, mentally, spiritually

Sunrise

Destination

Break on a steep mountainside

Pure Colorado water from melting snows

     Our beautiful girl guiding us along

When we got to the ridge, about 15 minutes from summit, we sat down to rest and eat our wonderful lunches of Vienna sausages (couldn't do it), fruit, and crackers.  Candy bars were to be saved for the summit.  One of our boys asked if he could lead us in a song.  I couldn't sing for crying tears of pure joy and relief:

The splendor of a king

Clothed in majesty

Let all the Earth rejoice

Let all the Earth rejoice

He wraps Himself in light

And darkness tries to hide

It trembles at His voice

Trembles at His voice

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD

SING WITH ME, HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD

AND ALL WILL SEE, HOW GREAT,

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD

As each one summited, our guides made a bridge  

It's official...we're at the top

Circle up to pray and sing praise to our Father

Standing in the snow on the mountain top with my sweetheart

Lots of pics proving we all made it

Best of all, doing it with 2 of my 3 kiddos

Hope you enjoyed the party!

TREK SECRETS...

1.  There are NO clocks, watches, or phones.
2.  There are NO answers to how far or how long.
3.  There are NO toilets, showers, etc.

Well, I don't want to reveal all the secrets of TREK, but let me say that:

 TREK was the HARDEST thing I've ever done 

PHYSICALLY 

and one of the most REWARDING 

SPIRITUALLY!

 I think being physically exhausted in a natural setting without all your material comforts (makeup, toilets, beds) puts you in a place where you can really focus more on God.  Add to that some energetic teenage friends, some great singing, and you are just transported to another world.

With all our electronics and unnecessary things packed away in our suitcases at base camp, we did what we were told by our guides.  We got up in the morning when they sang to us, ate weird breakfast food (like Spam), took care of business, and listened to the agenda for the day.  We hiked and didn't stop until break, although some of us were slower than others.  Everyone constantly encouraged, cheered, and knuckle punched each other for making it to the next break, over the streams, or arriving at the next campsite.  Some even carried extra weight for their weaker friends.  It was tough.  It was exhausting.  It was sweet.

                                   Did I mention these packs weigh about 50 lbs?

      You may notice there are not many pictures of me in this miserable state!

Solo time with God gave us time to look in our journals, read scripture, and contemplate questions.  Devo time at night was singing until we were weary, sharing the happy/crappy parts of the day, discussing the journal questions, always ending with our guide's rendition of "Give me oil in my lamp!"

After two days of hiking with heavy packs,we finally got to high camp.  We were giddy!  High fives and prayers all around.  But we couldn't rest until the tent was put up and the crew gear unpacked.  At 11,700 feet, we were surrounded by mountains, a stream, a lake, boulders, pine trees and elk poop.

Then came SOLO DAY - a day to recuperate, have an extended solo time with God,  play in the woods, to acclimate to the higher altitude, and rest up for summiting.  My favorite.

More to come later...

WE'RE BA-ACK...

We've been home from Colorado about 36 hours and I've been kind of a zombie lately, so I didn't want to write immediately for fear you would totally think I'm a zombie and quit being my friends...

About 10 days ago both my husband and I were totally stressed between sponsoring/packing/fear of the unknown for TREK in Colorado and his Dad near death in the hospital and trying to figure out all the different scenarios of what to do if Dad died while we were unreachable in the the Colorado wilderness, etc.

We were pretty snappy with each other and it wasn't pretty.  Finally my husband just gave up and said to me, "Whatever, whenever God wants to take him we will deal with it."  And I said, "Thank you!"  We were leaving Friday and my husband drove 4 hours round trip to see his Dad one more time on Thursday.  Thankfully he passed later that evening, so we didn't have to worry about flights to/from Colorado.  His family decided to have the funeral 2 days later so I was unable to go, which really felt weird.  I needed to drive the teens to Colorado and get them checked in on Saturday for TREK.

Thanks to God, he gave me the adrenaline I needed to make the long drive and several emails and texts the day before from friends praying for me.

I know I (and 2 of our kids) missed a beautiful celebration of life as the four sons spoke and several grandsons led songs and scriptures.  All the grandkids there sang, "There's A Stirring."  A fine time.  My husband left immediately after it and drove to Pueblo, Colorado, then got up early Sunday and met with me and the TREK group Sunday morning in Salida.

Once we were on TREK, it was such a different world for me, that it was really nice to disconnect from all other cares.  I had been training, walking around the neighborhood for a couple of weeks with 30 lbs. in my backpack, walking up the stairwell of a 22 story building multiple times, drinking 2 L of water a day, but listen, nothing can really prepare you for the challenge of Wilderness TREK.

THANK GOD FOR MUSCLE RELAXERS!!!

Signing off now but I'll leave you with my favorite pic from TREK,Day one:

Me and my lovely guide/daughter getting ready to train on the rock wall!