Photo Reel: October

So, there was this month. October.

Part of me feels like it didn't happen.

It was like the whole month jumped off the calendar and ran all crazy-like across several states, filling itself up with a whole lot of random fun and family. Then, November turned up all neat and tidy on our calendar once more. Life as normal. Bizarre.

So here is a little photo update of our escapades.

FIRST STOP: GEORGIA

First stop was to see Dannon's brother and his lovely family in Atlanta! We had a great time playing with the boys and got to go see a Braves game.

Thanks Jonathon and Angela! 

Loved getting to see Bennett!
He totally knew how to do the tomahawk chop! 

Tyler is showing off his amazing baseball skills! 

Tyler and Uncle Dannon

SECOND STOP: FLORIDA

We got to stop in San Destin to see Uncle Mike and Aunt Donna. They spoiled us! 

 This was Zeke's favorite stop, I think!

 We got to spend our second anniversary on the beach! 

 Sushi was our anniversary dinner of choice! 

 So Blessed.

THIRD STOP: MISSISSIPPI 

The only regret was that we didn't have more time here!

Papa got a new iphone! 

 Molly and Abby were on the homecoming court.
They were lovely! 

 And now they are off to homecoming formal.
Wes, we missed you! 

FOURTH STOP: TEXAS (Burleson)

We spent two weeks here doing back to back retreats with Fellowship of the Sword. It was such a great time and so worth it. The Lord taught us so much individually and together. We can't say enough about taking time to get away with the Lord. 

 Reunited after Dannon's week retreat.
I don't know what my expression is.

While Dannon was away I got to road trip to see this guy.

 Love.

FIFTH STOP: TEXAS (Houston)

Last, but not least, we wrapped up our trip with a visit to Dannon's sister's family, The Kings. And we got to meet their new addition! 

Pumpkin carving with the nephews.

 Baby Kinsley. Yes, she's real.

 I pretty much held her hours on end.
She looks sort of worried about it.

Apparently, holding a baby is hard work. 

We were so blessed during our travels. The Lord gave us sweet time with family, great time to rest together, and a refreshing spiritual retreat. We came home feeling so rich in so many ways. We couldn't have planned such a great month. The Lord's hand was in it all. Thank you!

Yadah

Our Thanksgiving Table!

Yadah. 

It is the primary Hebrew word for thanks or gratefulness. 

To clap.

To throw towards heaven.

To revere or worship.

To confess.

To profess. 

Gratefulness. 

I have been learning a lot about this word. Well, more like this state of being. I love what this teaching from Fellowship of the Sword says:

"Your gratefulness acknowledges His authority to give or take, and solidifies our submission to Him and His ways. Nothing honors God like submission and obedience. And nothing restores you to God's heart like gratefulness."

The Lord showed me something beautiful through a story in Luke 2:36-38. 

Anna was a worshipper. She spent every moment at the temple giving thanks to God. She lived to revere God, to confess His goodness. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated, she knew. She knew what was happening. She recognized that moment. Because she was in tune with God's heart, because she lived in worship, she was given eyes to see.

Gratefulness does that in our own lives. It gives us eyes to see. It opens our hearts to recognize where God is moving. We get to be a part. 

"Coming up to them at that very moment, she (Anna) gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem."        Luke 2:38

We can be a part of proclaiming the Kingdom into our own lives and the lives of others. We can see with eternal eyes. 

Love it! 

Kingdom Glimpse

Guys, I can't get enough. We are leaving in a week and I'm soaking up every moment of this San Juan September! These little glimpses, remind me of the Kingdom. All things beautiful. All things made right. All things made new.

What reminds you?

A Filled Up Heart

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

"For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of..."

I am loving this verse lately. It is such a perfect reminder to look at the root of an issue and not just the symptom. Don't try and change the way you speak, ask the Lord to soften and change, and fill up your heart. 

If my words are negative or judgmental, then there is something in my heart that shouldn't be there. Unforgiveness? Bitterness? Our words are the red flags to the condition of our hearts. 

How's your heart?

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors arrive on Thursday. 

Please pray for them as they meet, that they would have wisdom and direction about camp. Thanks!!! 

No. Words.

Big City

It might be hard for me to express how great it is to go to the "big" city. I mean, you just have to experience living in the middle of nowhere to understand. There are common, every day phrases that just don't exist in our world.

"I'm going to run to the grocery store real fast"

"Let's go catch a movie"

"Could you pick up some milk on your way home?"

"Let's order pizza"

"I'll just grab some fast food on the way"

"Target is calling my name" (I couldn't hear Target if it was yelling my name)

So, anyway, you get the drift. Even fast food excites me. All that to say, Dannon and I got to escape to Colorado Springs for a few days before fall season started and it was glorious. We saw a movie in a real movie theatre, ate at Chicl-Fil-A, went shopping at TJ-Maxx (I almost fainted) and REI, and finished out our time with the Zoo.

I know, it doesn't sound that extraordinary. But you don't live in Lake City.

Is it weird that we went to the zoo without kids? Still pondering that one.

The look on this giraffe's face. Hilarious.

I have such a hot honey! 

I looked like this as a child. I'll find a pic to prove it. 

I forgot to mention that we stopped so Dannon could fish on the Arkansas River "for a little while". "Little while" is relative. I'm learning :).

And the fact of the matter is, that it is always good to come home. I love our "middle of nowhere".

Front Row Seat

What exactly do I do at Redcloud? This is an excellent question.

An excellent question, that I asked myself repeatedly during that first summer of being married and without an official job title. And I asked it with no small amount of angst. It went a little something like "Who the heck am I now?!?", usually followed by tears and confused looks from Dannon. 

I'm not bashing the season. Actually, Jesus rescued me from a sort of burned out, broken down place that I didn't even see. He sat me down in my new little house and pretty much made me stay there for the year. I'm barely exaggerating. A year. 

And then summer came again. 2012. Round two. 

I found myself meeting with four ladies. Discipleship. Once a week, on a walk, or over coffee.  I would listen to hearts full of questions, some the same as my own, some not so familiar. I watched with amazement at the wisdom that was stored in those lives and cried over hearts that had already been through their fair share of war. 

I used to think that I had to know all of the right words. I used to think that I had to be able to fix things for them. I thought I had to carry all of those burdens. I wanted so badly to make things work. And I ended up in a scary place where I thought it was up to me. 

And I can tell you, friends, you cannot breathe for long like that. 

Enter Jesus. He is always so timely. The Rescuer of our souls. Enter Dannon who has taught me so much about pointing people to Jesus. 

Just point them to Jesus.   

And suddenly, I can breathe again. 

Friends. Do you know what the Holy Spirit is capable of? He is in the business of heart change. This summer, I have seen Him enliven hearts and set captives free. I have seen Him whisper wisdom and direct steps. It's just what He does. 

And I had a front row seat. 

A beautiful gift.

Summer Videos

Check out our new videos from our Redcloud summer 2012! These are a great way to get an idea of what life is like for our seasonal staff as well as our campers. What a great season. So fun! The first video on this link is our staff recruiting video. Recognize that voice in the background? Who knew Dannon had such a radio voice?

https://vimeo.com/48820437

To Be Satisfied

Where do you go?

Where do you go for comfort and fulfillment? For satisfaction?

I have a list. A list of too many things that I run to for comfort, for that filled-up feeling. Busyness. Alone time. Coffee. A good movie. Approval from people. A perceived image of myself. Dannon. 

The problem is, my little list of things actually work for a moment. And they are not necessarily bad. And they are available and easy. 

But the bigger problem with my list is that it doesn't fill up for long. It doesn't soften my heart or renew my mind or give Kingdom perspective. It doesn't deepen Christ-like love or inspire eternal thinking. 

Moving into September, I have found myself agitated, restless, listless, sad. 

Is it the subtle transition in seasons? The string of gray, rainy days? The buzz of summer season quieting to the steady hum of fall? 

Maybe.

But mostly, it's a heart that was made for communion, a spirit that longs for the eternal, and a thirsty, thirsty soul. 

So, as the aspens are digging deep for their last drink and crowning the mountains with golden light, I will dig my roots deep into Jesus.

I will drink up His soul-satisfying life, and let the glow of His Kingdom warm this world-weary heart. 

And I may just throw in a cup of coffee for good measure. I just don't think He would mind. 

Ouray with the Weavers

We finally got to steal away with our friends the Weavers.

 

Aren't they just the cutest?

We piled in the jeep and headed over the mountains to a charming little town called Ouray.

The views were amazing, 

but mostly it was just some real good company.

Ok, so Lara is my best friend. We met in college and have been heart friends ever since. Our dear husbands, well, they didn't have a chance. They were destined to be friends...or else. Thankfully, it seems to have worked out for all of us, and they get along just great. 

                                                     

We ate at a local brewery and explored the town.

We ran into a little rain up top, but we battened the hatches and had a grand time.

I'm so glad that I get to keep making memories with this lovely lady! 

More to come! 

The Hills are Alive

We're only missing Papa!

We were so blessed this summer to get time with family. One of the biggest highlights of this busy season is to have the chance to unplug from camp life for a few days and just enjoy vacation time with some of our favorite people.

The King family and Zeno and Libby were the first to brave the long trek, and after a plane ride and a six hour drive they were finally here. 

People, I'm telling you, we live in the middle of nowhere. 

We crammed our too-few days with as many adventures as possible. Caleb and Austin turned out to be quite the mountain men. And we were super impressed with Ashley who was 6 months pregnant and kept right up with them. 

Our biggest event of the week was building this epic fort. The boys (big and small) put a lot of work into  it. We did a lot of log dragging and stacking and in the end had an impressive piece of real estate. 

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER!
We feel the the bay window is a major asset.

Other adventures included fishing...

Canoeing....

Jeep Rides...

And Ponies!

Love these guys! Thanks for the precious memories!

And thanks so Zach for actually taking pictures, which I have shamelessly stolen. Apparently I was way to excited to document.