Kindergarten

To my first beloved:

You are loved!

God, please grant him wisdom to make good choices.  May he be a child of integrity; remembering what we have taught him and what Your Word says.  Lord, I ask that he would be slow to speak and quick to listen; that you would change his heart to be obedient to the authority in his life.  May You grant him patience with his studies and the learning process. Father, as the my firstborn goes off into this new adventure in life, I ask that You would place friendships in his life.  Teach him what it means to be a good friend, and that You would provide him opportunities to show love as well as be loved.   May he feel Your love so as to love others.  And as he faces new pressures and new realities, I pray that You would be more real to him than ever.

And as for me, I know this is what I asked for, and I'm so grateful that you provided this!  But, I am also sad.  Sad that I no longer will be the primary source of knowledge for him.  Sad that I will not know every detail of what goes on within his day.  So, Father, I ask that you grant me courage and trust.  To know that I'm not done with him, but that this is a stepping stone into the separation that is inevitable.  And to trust in our God-guided labor with him over the past 5 years.  Lord, may I trust in You even more to guide his steps independently of ours.  Reveal to us how we can continue to incorporate Godly living into his new world and new experiences.

Amen!

A new Chapter...

The fact that Matt lost his job at Faith Evangelical Free Church here in Fort Collins was pretty much public knowledge.  And I think we kept everyone pretty much up to speed via Facebook.  However, this blog not only serves as a vehicle to keeping people in-the-know of our lives, but also as something for was as a family to look back on.

So, just because I want to incorporate this into the memories I will retell the story.

The Thursday before Valentines day, Matt was home when I got home from school in the afternoon.  I questioned his being home at this odd time.  And he then informed me that he was being let go from employment at Faith.  I can't explain the emotions in their fullest.  But, I was confused, hurt, shocked and sad.  Not to mention that we had to continue in fellowship and service at this church until the end of May or until Matt found new employment.

Mostly we were concerned that God was going to take us away from the place that we have come to love and regard as home.  Fort Collins, is the place that we wanted to be.  We weren't sure of the chances that another church in the city would be looking to hire Matt.  Anyway, through a few months of no movement we came to realize that God has a plan.  We can't force it, and we can't dictate it.  We can only rest in His peace and trust that his plan is greater than our own.  I once heard trusting God described as this; we as His children are hold a flashlight.  With that flashlight, we can see just far enough to see where to take our next step.  Though, it frightens us to not be able to see the end of the path, He does not leave us without guidance and direction.

We trusted God before in the adventure of bringing us to Colorado in the first place.  And while it was an emotional ride, it was easier the second time around to trust Him in the uncertainty.  God not only took us through the end of May without another employer, but just for good measure, He added a couple weeks of unemployment.  God found a great fit for us at another local church.  We feel so blessed to have been able to stay in Fort Collins and continue the ministry that we feel uniquely designed for.

Matt has now been employed at Discovery Fellowship Church for 10 weeks now.  I think we both feel that  God had this place picked out for us, and Faith was a place that He could use us to help them while we were in the land between.  DF Church has been so welcoming and encouraging.  And we are excited to do ministry and life together; all while we serve and praise the King!

Tent Camping

We haven't been camping in 3 years, the summer we first moved to Colorado.  Mason 22 months old and I was pregnant with Grady.  I was little anxious to go tent camping with Grady, he's 2 1/2 years old now.

Thursday mid-morning we packed up.  Not wanting to go too far from home, we went up the Poudre Canyon.  We ended up staying at Mountain Park, which was our first choice.  They have a playground (which we figured we would need), and we were just steps away from the river.

We didn't forget anything that couldn't be improvised for, and we didn't eat a single hot dog or hamburger.  I failed to realize how slowly time goes by when you have only a couple available activities for the children.  On Friday we took a beautiful morning drive, which gave Grady a much needed nap.  When we got back to camp we all took a turn at fishing before we had to run for cover.  See the glitch in our getaway came that afternoon in the form of a thunderstorm.  We spend several hours under our canopy.  And as we watched the water starting to pool under our tent and the boys began to fall apart due to lack of sleep and cold, we decided that we should pack up and head on home.  The Lord graciously provided us a break in the storm long enough to pack up without getting wet.  Mason wasn't too keen on leaving, but sometimes you have to sacrifice for the greater good of the family.

Would we do tent camping again?  Yes!  Would we do it again with a young'un?  Yes, but only at a KOA where they have grass, a pool, and free showers! ;)

or check out the pictures here

Ahhh...summer, we hate to see you go!

I can't say that I'm all that excited to get back to school.  It's a completely different feeling than where I was a year ago when it was my first semester back.  I am excited, though, that I only have classes on Tuesday and Thursday.  So, that will help with my sanity.  With only one more week of time off before school starts, I'm feeling a little sad and overwhelmed.  We all know that the last week just flies by, and we are going camping at the end of the week; our only time away as a family this summer.

Shall I mention that my eldest child might be starting kindergarten!?!?  It was kind of a last minute thing.  I found out that Thompson Valley School District's registration date is Oct.1, whereas PSD's is Sept. 15.  Since Mason's birthday is Sept. 21 and he doesn't qualify for PSD I decided to register Mason in a TVSD elementary.  We're still waiting to find out if he'll be allowed in because we're "choice-ing" into their district.

I went through a flurry of emotions when I found out that he might starting school.  I had previously been accepting of the fact he wasn't starting school, which was bittersweet.  I just know that as soon as he starts school I'm going to feel like time is getting away from me.  That makes me sad. *sigh*  However, I know that him being in a stimulating environment will be so good for him, in so many ways.  It's a win/lose situation really.

I can't believe that he'll be turning 5 soon and (potentially) starting kindergarten...I save that blog for another day.

Yes, the end of summer means back to school, a child's birthday, the end of some of my favorite foods, no more shorts and tanks, and a holiday-a-month.  There's not a whole lot I like about the end of summer; but, to everything turn, turn, turn!