"In the end it will be apparent that fleeting moments of turmoil, celebration, or tranquility were all merely different opportunities to come under the rule of the Lord of lords Himself."

Spring??

While our friends in Atlanta (Texas, Florida & elsewhere) are

baking.....
we are enjoying a beautiful spring
SNOW!!!
We got about 10 inches today (and some surrounding
places enjoyed a whole 17 inches!!)
with more promised tonight.
Of course, it will all melt tomorrow....
and it is predicted to be
80 degrees on Saturday!

(this is one of the "Christmas" trees in the backyard!)
So, we've had to cancel our Wednesday Group Hike. Most of the
high trails are closed in this kind of weather.
(and some of our interstates were closed today too)
So Suzanne & I are going "hiking" tomorrow
through the Antique Shops in Old Littleton!!!!
:)

"Climb Every Mountain"

If you have had a tough week and just need a laugh....read on!

Okay.....so while chatting with ladies from church I said, "The mountains here are so beautiful...they are CALLING ME! I'm just dieing to go to the mountains!", to which one lady, Suzanne, replied, "I'm a member of a walking group, come walk with us!"
Wow, to finally be meeting people and making friends here is a real answer to prayer. I mean, I only have one friend here, Judy, and she probably thinks I need to be sent to the funny-farm. She's been so patient with me. She invited me to a prayer group so I could meet more ladies from church.
(She probably paid them to take me on!)
That's where I met Suzanne.
Well....Suzanne is so sweet (you'd almost think she's from the south, but actually, she's a TEXAN!---and Texans are very sweet!)....Suzanne exaggerated somewhat when she called it a 'walking group'. What picture does that bring to your mind? Putting on your cute little running shoes and capris....maybe walking in a neighborhood?.....or meeting at the local high school track?.....NO!, no, she really meant HIKING GROUP! but since I didn't know that, I told her I would join them for their weekly Wednesday walk. Next thing I know she is giving me a list of what to bring. (bring??? like to a Pot Luck??) Okay....so here's the list: backpack with at least two bottles of water, fruit, snacks, ear muffs, hiking boots, and a walking stick. And what is our destination??
Mt. Galbraith!!!
A MOUNTAIN?????
Naively, I borrowed Josiah's backpack (I've NEVER worn a backpack!), as well as his ear muffs...packed all my water and snacks and substituted running shoes for hiking boots (yes, I really need hiking boots after all!---that's my next shopping trip!)
and borrowed a walking stick from Suzanne.
We met at 8:30 in the morning (the early bird gets the worm I guess) at a shopping center parking lot. I knew I was going to meet the other members of the group...probably professional walk-ers, real "Colorado granola girls".
...and I couldn't resist getting out of the car and announcing,
"I CAN'T GO!"
Surprise and curiosity crossed their faces and
they all inquired, "Why not? What's happened?"....to which I replied,
"I FORGOT MY EARRINGS!"
and then listened to them howl!!!!
(they were probably thinking, "what kind of prissy thing is she?----a real southern belle!)
But they let me go with them anyway!

Here are a few pictures from our adventure.....enjoy!
Nancy, me, Pamela....gearing up.
(suzanne is behind the camera)
the beginning....before we ever took a step!

Nancy - the "pro" - grew up in this area hiking trails all over Colorado.
She knew the names of all the flowers and plants along the way.
She was also able to recognize the various animal
prints and assure us that we were not in danger.
We saw prints of deer, elk, fox and coyote.
I also learned a new term: "skat"
which is the term for animal 'poop' of any kind!
We learned to distinguish deer poop from elk, etc. and she
would poke some of it and say, "there's hair in this one
which means it's probably coyote or fox."
(yuck)
TMI, TMI
(too much information!)

The foothills are ready to pop with spring flowers any day now.
Some are already beginning to bloom ...like this cactus flower.

Up, Up and Away!

We saw all different kinds of scenery from grassy fields to shadowy trails.

At this point we were overlooking the small town of
Golden, Colorado....
just west of Denver at the foothills of the Rockies.

This is Mt. Evans.
It is a most beautiful mountain, visible
from all over Denver.
Every day I can see Mt. Evans...except when it's too
cloudy or hazy....as I drive to the grocery store
or wherever I am going.
It's an extraordinary site that I enjoy in everyday,
ordinary ways!
We got an "up close" view on our hike!

Pamela, Nancy, & Suzanne
with Mt. Evans in the background.

There I am! I really did go on this hike!

This is Pamela. She's a real pro too!
She carries a GPS and pedometer and could tell
us how long we walked, how often we stopped,
and how many miles we had traveled....
can you believe we hiked over FOUR MILES
and we were over 7,000 feet in altitude!!!



We ended our journey and had lunch at the
Table Mountain Inn in Golden, Co.
(see www.tablemountaininn.com)
I can't believe I actually made it! No blisters even!
I guess I've been officially initiated to Colorado.
And I can't wait to hike again next Wednesday!
I will let you know our destination for next week as soon as I find out~!

Thank you, Suzanne, Nancy, & Pamela!!!
I had a wonderful time!

Happy Easter!

“We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem.
Why do we go?
Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self."

- John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ

There is such healing of the soul in the splendor of what I see daily here...the mountains are so magnificient! You can be sitting at a red light and a beautiful mountain stares you in the face!!!

Wishing all of my dear friends and family Easter Blessings as we joyfully celebrate the Good News that Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin...
and brings healing for our soul.