Noah

Noah did everything just as God commanded him.   Genesis 6:22 (NIV)

Noah, one of my favorite characters of the Bible.  Not only does he give us reason to sing the BEST VBS song EVER, "The Lord said to Noah there's gonna be a floody, floody..." he is such a great example of total trust and faith in God.

The story of Noah and the Ark comes from Genesis, chapters 6, 7 & 8.  If you have time, go ahead and read it right now for a refresher.  I know it's one of the bible stories we think we know all about, but everytime I read it, I pick up on something I hadn't realized or paid attention to.  (It's like that most of the time I read the bible!)

Earlier in Genesis 2:5-6, it says, "Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground."  Cool.  God provided what the earth and plants needed, didn't he?

Yesterday as I came back from my morning walk, I heard a steady 'ping, ping, ping' coming from our shed.  There is no door on it right now (thanks to a storm LAST YEAR) and there is no power to it, so that steady noise really caught my attention.  I kind of glanced over at the shed, didn't see anything and went in the house to get ready for work.  This morning, the same thing.  I came back and heard that pinging sound again.  I studied the shed a little closer and realized it was the dew dripping off the shed roof onto some metal sitting on the ground.  Dew. 

The other thing I had been noticing on my walk was that the corn next to us looks pretty curled in the afternoon (just like flowers and plants and such) but early in the morning, it doesn't look so stressed...Again, dew.  It brought me back to Noah...and the verse about the streams coming from the earth to water the surface.  I realize that right now our earth is so dry, there is very little coming from below, but God is providing us some moisture in the form of dew.

So back to Noah and his terrific faith.  Here is a man who is told by God to build this grand ark and gather all these animals and his family and get in it because he was going to destroy the earth.  Can't you just imagine what the neighbors were thinking?  I can hear it now..."Oh, no, Noah must have lost his mind."  "His poor wife."  "Do you think he's having a mid-life crisis?"  "Someone should get him some help."  What would we say right now if we heard about a man who said God told him to build an ark?!  We would have very similar thoughts, wouldn't we?  God did promise, "Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done."  (Gen 8:21)

And right after that in verse 22 is one of those verses I have never really paid attention to before but I love, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” 

Noah trusted in God and did as he was commanded, which is mentioned a couple times in the story, and a point well taken.  Right now we are in desparate need of water.  Our crops are suffering.  The beautiful things we enjoy like flowers, bushes, trees, grass, they are suffering.  I am sure that right about now farmers are struggling, trying to remain faithful and trust in the Lord to provide the rain, but still in the back of their minds, wondering what His plan is.

Our pond has fallen to a level that I don't believe I've ever seen it at before.  Our outside water spigots are connected to a pump in the pond...the water has dropped below the pump; therefore, our outside water spigots won't work.  It's more of an inconvenience than anything else (the spigots), but the pond level is a concern because the cows, deer, birds, fish, frogs, turtles, even those stupid snakes, rely upon that water for hydration. 

I know that for me, since my livelihood doesn't depend upon the crops and a harvest, it's somewhat easy for me to sit back and have faith that God will provide.  There are many who are dependent upon it though and they need our prayers.  We must continue to try to have faith like Noah and believe that God will provide for us, one way or another...and pray for rain. 

Like a thief in the...white Beretta

We were talking about this story while on vacation and I thought, oh, something to write about!!  A few years ago we owned a Jeep.  At that time Jay's work car was a white, 1993 Chevrolet Beretta with a black bra.  You have to mention the black bra because it just made the car.   The kids and I had went to bible school in the Jeep.  Jay had worked that day and came home after we had already left for VBS.

VBS was over, the kids and I hopped in the jeep, no windows, no doors, and we headed home on that warm summer night.  I think my 'other daughter' was with us too.  We are coming down the road, almost to our driveway when we see a county sheriff's car near our drive.  I panic because Lane isn't in a car seat/booster, the girls are hanging every body part they can out the sides of the jeep, and because I'm just that type of person, regardless of whether I am abiding by the laws of the state or not, I instantly panic when I see a police car of any type.

I decide we are going to go on past our driveway and go to my parent's house.  I pull in their driveway and wait a few minutes, making up some bogus story to the kids about why we are hiding sitting in their grandparent's driveway and not getting out and going inside.  I wait a few minutes and head to our house.  As I am coming down our driveway, which is kinda long and has a small hill and a curve, guess who I meet?  You got it, the deputy!  And he has been to MY HOUSE.  Because our house is down a long drive, it is pretty hard to just accidentally end up there, you know.  My mind is in overdrive, the kids think this is the most exciting thing ever and all I want to do is find Jay and see what in the world is going on!

Turns out that Jay had filled up with gas before he left the town he works in, went inside, paid cash, drove off...and the cashier reported him as a drive-off.  She had written down the make and model and the license plate number and that county had contacted our county.  The deputy came to our house to investigate Jay driving off from the gas station without paying.  Jay had paid, of course, but with cash.  He had no receipt, but gave a very detailed account of using a fifty-dollar bill, had descriptions of who waited on him, who was in front of him, etc.

At the time, I worked part-time (as a secretary) at the police department in the city where this occurred so I immediately called down and asked for the officer we had been told was investigating it.  I relayed all of Jay's details and he went to the station to find out what was going on.  When all was said and done and the surveillance video had been watched, it was clear Jay had handed the cashier something and she had accepted it.  Jay would not be arrested!  (haha)  We truly believe she was pulling a fast one and probably had that fifty bucks in her pocket.

This was during our hardcore Dave Ramsey days and we were all cash all the time...after that we were all cash with a receipt all the time:)

Colorado - The end

Day #7 of our Colorado adventure arrived.  By this time, we were ready to get home and sleep in our own beds and see Hank the Tank II because (say it with me now) he is so precious.  After stuffing our suitcases as tight as possible, we were still left with two blankets we had purchased on Pike's Peak, a container of Folger's coffee, Lipton tea bags and some protein shake stuff Jay has to have.  Being the tight-wad I am, there was NO WAY I was tossing that stuff in the trash can.  No way.  We would figure something out.

We returned the car to the rental place and hopped on the shuttle back to the airport.  The baggage check-in went fine and we found our gate.  There was a luggage/bag shop right by it.  Perfect...only their sign said they would be back soon.  Soon never came so we just decided to try to carry on all of that stuff.  We had the groceries in a gift bag and were carrying the two blankets.  Looking at others go through security, I didn't feel so bad.  People had all kinds of stuff that they were just carrying through.  Funny thing, we had no trouble with the blankets, the humongous container of protein powder or the coffee.  My small bottle of Oil of Olay and some hand lotion jerked me right out of line.  Seriously?  (I know they are just doing their jobs.)  We did finally make it through with plenty of time to spare.

The plane ride home was uneventful.  We found seats next to a couple from Colorado coming to Illinois for a wedding.  Lane & Jay sat next to the gentleman and Madolyn & I sat with the woman.  They were very pleasant and we had good conversation.  They shared with us about the big forest fire because they lived in that area.  We landed, took the shuttle back to the hotel where we had parked our car for the week, found our car, loaded it up and headed home on Interstate 70.

All in all, it was a very good trip.  It wasn't a relaxing type of vacation, but we knew that going in.  We wanted to see as much as we could because you just never know when/if you will get to go back.  Our kids were very good, especially considering all the driving around we did.  We did hear the word "Sissy" about fifty times too much, but someone can't keep her hands off her little brother and eventually we fined her a quarter every time she touched him. 

One of those cute things that I will probably never remember unless I look back on this blog was Lane listening to Jerry Clower on his iPod with his headphones in and hearing him recite the words and do the sound effects with it.  If you have ever listened to Jerry Clower, I know you can just hear him making his sound effects.  It was adorable and I had to take a picture.  (How many eight-year-olds listen to Jerry Clower anyway?!)

We were thankful to have been given a Toyota Camry at the rental car place.  They offered us a van for the same price, but we went with the MPG, and it was a good decision.  It seemed like we could drive forever (and we did) on very little gas!  It was a nice little car...my back wasn't a fan of the seat, but it was tolerable.  We kept a Styrofoam cooler in the trunk with water and drink boxes and also some peanut butter and jelly and bread.  It was handy to have our own drinks and a snack if we needed one.

I took gobs of pictures, actually 266 to be precise...and aren't you glad I haven't decided to put all of those on here?!  I did include this one on the right because I told Jay to make a face like the water was flaming hot (which it was pretty warm) and he did.  I thought it was cute.  This spring monument, I guess you would call it, was located near that Mexican restaurant along the river in Pagosa Springs.  I suppose this is a way to enjoy a spring without paying to actually sit in it!  How about his new red shoes?  Aren't those alarming?  He's going to love that I had to mention them!!

The picture on the left is the view from the deck we had where we stayed at in Pagosa Springs.  It was a huge place.  We took some nice walks around on the golf cart paths (which was a no-no), but didn't spend a whole lot of time there on the resort.  We were situated on the second floor; there was another unit above us and one below us.  I'm sure the folks below us loved the fact that Jay did his exercise videos every afternoon. 

One morning when Jay, Lane & I were on a walk, there were two hot air balloons flying over.  We saw one touch down and tried to get over to it, but it took off too quick.  Then as we walked, we watched where they were going and they landed near our place.  I called Madolyn and told her to go outside and take a picture.  Thankfully, she listened to her mother for once and clicked a decent photo.

We hope to go back some day and see the northern part of Colorado.  I have been told that if I like Colorado, I really need to see Wyoming & Montana.  Sounds good to me.  We were pleased to arrive home to well-cared for animals (thanks to my parents and my nieces) and a very-much alive Hank the Tank II.  The neighbors to the west of us did hear him bark a lot, but he lived through the cruel punishment of a dog pen.  Too bad for him, now that we know he can do it, we may not need a dogsitter anymore!

Colorado Day #6

Hang on folks, we are almost done with Colorado.  On the morning of Day #6, we packed up our belongings and got back into the white Toyota Camry.  On our itinerary for the day was driving back to Denver where we would stay a night and then catch our flight back to St. Louis.  We knew it would be a day full of miles and time spent in the car, there was just no way around it, but we did break the drive up a little.

Our first stop was returning a movie at the resort Activity Area...just kidding, well, we actually did return a movie, but that wasn't really part of our adventures.  Our first real stop was at a little rest area so-to-speak with two outdoor bathrooms because we were about to bust.  There was a line to the bathroom, of course, because you drive forever on these mountains to get anywhere!  And since our kids never tire of pictures...just ask them...I had to take one with the elevation sign.  Somewhere along these mountains in here, I was about to puke...there are NO shoulders or guardrails up here.  There are two lanes with a centerline, a white fog line on each side and then on my side of the car...NOTHING.  It was sickening.  I didn't care if the kids and Jay thought I was a wimp, it was nauseating.  Funny thing, at one point a little later, Jay was on the side without ANYTHING and he found it quite disturbing too.  Haha.

We came around a mountain and looked down in a valley and there sat a little mining town, Silverton.  This is where the train that loads in Durango comes twice a day.  And might we say, that is a good gig for little Silverton.  Twice a day those trains dump off a couple hundred people to shop, eat and explore, and then they leave.  What a good deal!  Silverton was everything I pictured in an old mining town out west.  It wasn't rundown or anything like a ghost town.  They still have a mine and give tours.  We were going to go down into the mine on the little railcars, but when we got there...those little railcars had just slid off the track.  The miners assured us they would get it fixed, but at that point I felt pretty confident that my family was not going down into that cold, dark mine in that railcar.


We did all we could do...we panned for gold, silver, copper and lead, and it was kinda fun!  I figured it was a hoax and we wouldn't actually find anything, but sure enough, the kids and Jay found some very small pieces of copper and I think Lane found a piece of silver.  If you look hard, you can see the miners working on the yellow railcars behind us.  I kept laughing because these guys were probably in their mid-sixties (three of them) and they were acting like it was some kind of a reality show.  I really thought that the Alaskan Gold show crew would come walking out any moment.  We left right before they called out that the railcars were fixed.  We thought we better sneak the kids out before they wanted to go down into the mine.  I am sure it was a neat experience, but so was panning for treasures in that water...on land...in warmth...with the sky and sunshine overhead...

We shopped downtown and a local suggested a local eatery called Mother Cluckers for lunch.  It was yummy and a good atmosphere.  Thankfully, we were settled in there before the second train unloaded.  The picture on the left is Lane standing way in front of the trains, with the hills and mountains in the back.  Isn't it beautiful?  The picture on the right is Mad in front of an old car (I love those) and kind of shows the shops in the background.   After eating, we shopped again and got back in the car.  I think we all enjoyed our Silverton pitstop.  We got some gas before leaving and bought some Colorado Cherries.  We ate the whole bag before we reached Glenwood Springs.  They were delicious.

We left Silverton and then traveled up through some gorgeous scenery.  The picture on the left is just a view through the windshield of what we drove through. We passed through Ouray, Colorado, which is dubbed "The Switzerland of the U.S." and it is absolutely gorgeous.  We didn't stop there and look around, but I had to take a picture standing on their main street looking up.  This picture on the right is what these people look out and see every single day.  Isn't it amazing?  God creates some pretty cool stuff, doesn't he?  Ahhh.

Jay tried to take us up to where he has elk hunted in the past, but the way the GPS was taking us...well, let's say we ended up in someone's driveway so we turned around and drove back down.  I didn't tell Jay, but I was kind of glad...I think it would have added like two hours onto our already long day of driving!

The picture on the left is just another neat shot out the car window.  I couldn't help myself with the picture-taking, in case you hadn't noticed.  We stopped in Glenwood Springs and ate Mexican (again) and finished our drive to Denver at a Drury Inn (of course) not too far from the airport.  They were booked, but they gave us a good deal on a "meeting room" which I actually liked because it was so big.  It had one double bed and a very large conference table.  They brought us a roll-away bed and Lane slept in a recliner.  It was perfect...and we got the free, yummy breakfast we love so much at a Drury Inn.  Their free popcorn is good too!  We were just a day from being home and we were ready!

Colorado Day 5

Welcome to Colorado vacation, day number five.  I hope you aren't too sick of hearing about our travels, really if you are, just come back when I'm done with my Colorado posts.  If I don't write about them now, I may forget everything!

After spending most of our time in the car the day before, we decided to just relax and enjoy the hot springs along the river in Pagosa Springs, the town where we were staying.  I must say I had NO idea what the springs were all about.  I think I had told you that we had walked along the river in Pagosa a few nights before...trying to convince the kiddos that the water was only slightly above freezing (truth).  Every now and then along the river, you would see a grouping of rocks and this discoloration and maybe smell the wonderful sulfur smell...if you stuck your toe into that water in the middle of those rocks, it was HOT.  It was crazy how hot it was...only feet from 40-45 degree river water.  Amazing. 

To really soak up the experience of the hot springs though, you have to pay..of course.  And because we are all about soaking up the full experience of things...haha...we paid for an all-day pass at the Hot Springs Spa along the river.  It was so cool.  This picture may be too far away for you to see, but this is a view of the spa from the other side of the river.  I thought it kinda looked like an area at a water park or something.  Jay and I spent a lot of time in those blue lounge chairs, which may be why we were burnt so badly! It was very relaxing.  There were places you could walk down from the spa into the river, and the kids spent a lot of time in there.

They had a regular swimming pool there that the kids also played in, and the pool water was fed from a spring too, but it was cooled to about 91 degrees...which to me is still awesome.  There were 18 spring 'hot tubs' at this spa that we could enjoy.  For an extra five bucks and no children, we could have explored five more, but those pesky children were with us...ha.  (In this picture at the top right is the 'restricted area' for those who aren't strapped down with offspring.)  Really, we were fine with the 18.  How many different hot tubs can you sit in?! 

I know that the discoloration might look gross and there are times where you touched something slimy, but it is supposedly all natural and so the sulfur really came through.  We can still smell that smell on our swimsuits!  The hot tubs ranged in temperatures from 95 to about 111 degrees (113 at night).  They were all labeled with the name and the temperature.  There was one called the "Lobster Pot" that only the tip of my toe enjoyed.  It was flaming.  I think it was maybe 108 degrees.  Insane!  I can't remember the name of the hottest one, but it was ridiculous and we actually saw an older gentleman in it, but I told the kids it may actually feel really good on some older joints, you know.  I did some reading on the hot springs and it says that the water underground is actually around 160 degrees!  They do a lot of heating with the hot water in the downtown area.  Gobs of Geothermal action going on down there.

I thought this was really cool, the sidewalk through the water.  This area had lots of goldfish in it and you couldn't get in the water, other than walking across the concrete sidewalk.  I told Jay we need one of those across our pond.  We both agreed that Hank the Tank II would never leave it.  He would just sprawl out across it and lounge all day!

They allowed us to come and go as we pleased since we bought the day pass.  I left and got us Subway for lunch, but we left the place for supper.  By the time we left, as I said above, we were absolutely fried...like we had been in a lobster pot, only we hadn't.  It was about that time, Jay gave me the tidbit I wish he would've mentioned beforehand...we are 7,000 feet closer to the sun...because honestly, that never crossed my mind.  I don't even get that burnt sitting on a beach for two days!  The kids had put on sunscreen, thank goodness, but the adults, you know, we didn't need any...ouch!  A week later, Jay & I are still peeling :)

We went back and relaxed a little (actually the kids and I went and bought Aloe gel), got cleaned up and headed out for a game of putt-putt golf.  Lane had been begging to play and it was free where we stayed.  If you know me, you know that I can barely tolerate two games:  bowling and putt-putt.  Ugh.  But I managed to survive it.  We ate supper at a Mexican restaurant that was directly across the river from the Hot Springs Spa (actually it's where we took the first picture from).  They had outside patio seating AND the hottest salsa I have ever had in my life.

Our bellies full, we headed back to the spa to sooth our sunburns...ha.  I actually thought the 100 degree pools felt great.  The rest of the family disagreed.  You could pick our group out of a crowd though, we were the bright red ones!  Finally, at 10:00 p.m. Colorado time, we got our towels and dried off to get in the car and head back to bed.  I really enjoyed day five and the hot springs...it was a nice day of rest and relaxation but maybe a little too much sun :)

Colorado Day #4

Day four was what I had been waiting for:  A visit to Durango, the Four Corners and Mesa Verde National Park where the Indian Cliff Dwellings were.  I was so pumped about the Four Corners, I could hardly wait.  First, we stopped in Durango and watched them load the train that runs from Durango to Silverton twice a day with lots of people.  We decided not to do it because it was a six-hour roundtrip ordeal.  We had already spent three hours with the Pikes Peak cog, so we passed.  It was neat to watch it though.  We did a little shopping at the old downtown and bought some treasures.  We continued on with our trek with plans to return to Durango for supper.

We drove through some pretty pitiful areas.  And by pitiful, I mean they looked depressed and poor.  I kept telling Jay that I expected Cousin Eddie to pop up any minute.  I know that sounds harsh, but we went through several miles of nothing, and then there would be some trailers and some junk.  Their yards were a mess.  It's so different than Illinois.  Probably one of the things that gets me the most is the lawn/yard.  Here everyone mows their yard and manicures it to perfection.  Out there, not even close.  I suppose maybe it is silly that we spend so much time on ours.  They're probably thankful if they have enough moisture to have grass so they don't trim it!

We went through an Indian reservation area and of course, there was a casino out in the middle of nowhere.  Finally, the Four Corners was up ahead.  I really don't know what I had envisioned, but I was super stoked about standing in four states at once.  We pulled in and there was a pay booth.  Okay, we were a little surprised, but we paid the $3 per person fee and went through...there were a couple fair-food type stands sitting off to the right with some porta-potties (again, not really what I had pictured).  Right in front of us, there was this long line of doorways.  We were baffled.  What in the world were all the doorways?

Ah-ha, of course, flea-market booths were all along each of the four boundaries of the monument.  The monument was nice, but we just could not get over the flea-market atmosphere and  food stands.  And that was it.  It was super un-interesting.  We got together and stood in each of the four states.  We have our picture.  We made it to the Four Corners.  As we walked out of there, Lane said, and I quote, "Well, that was a rip-off."  Jay and I just lost it.  Lane pretty much said all there was to say.  Out of the mouths of babes...

After the major disappointment, we went to Mesa Verde National Park.  What a drive that was up the mountain!  Once we paid to get in, she told us it would be 15 miles up the mountain...that doesn't mean it will be 15 minutes like it is around here.  That means about 45 minutes of driving.  But it was soooo worth it. 

The Cliff Dwellings were awesome!  They were so neat.  We took a really nice trail down to this one called the Tree House.  This picture on the right was where we started out on the trail.  I could not wait to get over there!

Do you see the circular hole?  That was called a kiva.  Madolyn kept telling Lane it was where they sacrificed people, but really it was like their living room or gathering place.  They could get down there in groups, there was a firepit in the middle and they would cover the tops.  They would use a ladder to get down inside.  These kivas were everywhere.  This wasn't one big mansion, this is where several families lived, like a whole village of people.  We couldn't crawl around too far inside, but there were a couple areas we could climb up to or walk back into.  Lots of miniature ground squirrels zipping around here too.

Madolyn & I climbed down into a hole.

Me inside the hole which wasn't very big.



After we checked out the Cliff Dwellings thoroughly, we got in the car and drove back down the mountain and to Durango for supper.  We ate at a simple little place called T's Smokehouse.  I had some of the yummiest salad dressing, a tomatoey vinegarette, and ate a nice big cheeseburger.  Our bellies full, we went back to Pagosa Springs for the night.   It was a very full day.  Although we were very disappointed at the Four Corners debacle, we can now say we have been there.  Durango and the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings made up for the "rip-off."  

I cannot even imagine...

living to be 94 years old.  Monday, June 18, 2012, we celebrated my grandma's (aka Grandma Great) 94th birthday.  She has told us for a couple weeks now that she didn't want anything, "You guys do so much for me anyway, don't get me a thing."  We hear that almost every year at Christmastime and her birthday.  Of course, at that age there's not a whole lot that you necessarily want anymore, I suppose. 

A little history...Grandma told me that on June 18, 1918, her mom had quite a busy day on their farm.  I think they had put up hay or something and Jess (my great grandmother) had made two big meals (lunch and supper) to feed the farm hands and help.  After putting in a full day, Madolyn Elizabeth was born to Ernie & Jess around 7:30 p.m.  I cannot even imagine working a full day on a farm (especially back in 1918), preparing and cleaning up after two big meals and then delivering a baby...at home.  Yikes.

Grandma did not want the folks at the nursing home knowing it was her birthday or having a big todo for her.  We told her that was going to be tough because they have her DOB listed probably several places next to her name!  And as expected, when I walked in on Monday, there was the big "Happy Birthday" poster on her door, a small birthday cake on her tv stand and she had had many cards and visitors.

My uncle picked her up and brought her down to her house and we had a mini birthday party.  Just the simple stuff, cake, ice cream, laughing, storytelling, etc.  She was so thankful to just sit in her beloved green chair.  Not everyone was able to be there, which is so hard to do these days, but we had a good turnout for our small family. 

I took a few pictures, but not a real great close-up of her and the cake (did my best).  I am quite certain that my aunt, uncle and dad will just love it that I have included this picture on my blog and facebook for all to see :)  Sorry, guys...and sorry to my readers who may be blinded by my uncle's safety work shirt.  Ha.

As I have mentioned several times in prior posts, this lady is quite a gal.  She continues to forge ahead in the midst of broken bones, failing health and lots of frustration.  I continue to thank God daily that he has blessed her with 94 years and that she has been a part of mine for 37.  Many times I have thought, I cannot even imagine living to be 90 or 91 or 92, etc.  There are times I'm not sure I want to, and then I visit Grandma, see her spunk and think, Why not?