Summer in Colorado

Summer has flown by. Well, I guess for some people, there is still a month left. We have had an interesting first summer in Colorado. The kids finished school at the end of May. At the beginning of June Rob spent a couple of weeks with his grandparents in Idaho, helping them with jobs, enjoying time together, and fishing some. During the time that he was gone, Kris worked for ten days in Florida for his company. Those were some really long work days for him.

While they were gone, we experienced our first wildfire! Nearly 500 homes were burnt. The fire was about 5-7 miles north of our home. It was amazing how hot, dry and windy it was during that time! I have a deeper respect for the men and women who battle fires. About 161 students and 22 staff members in our school district lost homes. And within the last year with the Waldo Canyon Fire and the Black Forest Fire, Colorado Springs has lost nearly 1,000 homes!

Shortly after Kris returned, we closed on a home. We had made three other offers on homes, but we can see God's goodness to us in giving us this home. While we don't have as nice of a view of the mountains and our neighbors are not as friendly, we have a very peaceful quiet neighborhood and a cozy home. We are thankful for a place to finally call home, and we have been unpacking things we have not seen in over three years. Every day we thank God for allowing us to have this home. It is in the same school district that three of our kids were enrolled in last year, which means everyone can attend the same schools as they did last year.

About two weeks after closing, I drove Robbie and TaLisa to Kansas to spend two weeks with their cousins. While we were there we picked up our dog. A lady was giving away an 8 month old Black Lab puppy. My sister picked him up for us, and when I drove out there I picked him up. His name is Paladin, which means Guardian. We call him Pal for short. He has a TON of energy, and he really needs a lot of training. But he is smart and loves people! ShaeLynn is really working on training him. She is really patient and consistent with him.

While the kids were in Kansas, we enjoyed a visit from friends who work overseas. It was such a HUGE treat! We spent many late evenings chatting, the guys did a lot of rock climbing, and our families hiked a bunch too. It was a joy to share our new home with them.

On Friday we had orientation for ShaeLynn for high school. It is a little crazy to think I now have two high schoolers! She officially starts next Wednesday, and the rest of the kids start around the 19th. I am not ready for our summer to be over yet! School is good, but I never like the demands on my schedule, the early mornings, and frantic pace of life. We are hoping to get in another fishing trip before the summer is over. One thing is for sure, we are starting to feel at home in our life here.

I have been reading the book One Thousand Gifts. It has been a challenging encouragement to me to really live a life of Thankfulness! While I still wish that we have some deeper friendships here, I am so thankful to live in a beautiful place where the nights cool down, there aren't many mosquitos, low humidity. I am thankful for this home that God has provided for us, for the job He has given Kris, and that I can trust Him to continue to meet our needs because He has such a great track record.