Let's Go Fly Kites

As soon as it came out of my mouth, I wished I hadn't said it...
"When Ellie gets home let's go fly kites!"
Today, I am tired from staying up 'til midnight working and have a lot of work to do today, but Kiki didn't get to go see a horse at preschool today (which almost devastated her little 4-year old heart!) and I was trying to make it up to her.

By the time Ellie was home from school, the newness wore off for Kiki so she didn't want to go and Ellie did. Now they're both crying (sooo many hormones!) Just great...Now, I have to put effort into convincing Kiki that kites will be fun and I don't even want to go.

We finally make it up the hill to the park with minimal complaining and the kites go up. The turn of all our hearts is amazing. We are laughing, cheering, running, yelling and having a blast being kids. I snapped this pic on my camera phone. It's not the best pic but it will forever remind me of that October day that I took time with the girls to enjoy the moment.

Jumping on the Band Wagon...

I remember the summer before we got married (6 1/2 years ago now) when everyone and their brother decided to be Colorado Avalanche fans. You'd better not wear red or mention anything about Michigan - you could have easily been lynched for using swear words like (shh Detroit Red Wings). It was exciting times as our Avs took us all the way to the Stanley cup finals and took the cup!!! My excitement for the team was one steeped in memories of a first date with Tracy (P.F. Changs & hockey - ahh those were the days), meeting Tracy's co-worker & wife (now GREAT friends) Russ and Nicole, meeting Jen & Micah downtown for dinner and hockey (and waiting for WM - white man- before crossing the street!). When we went to the games, we stood up to watch the action, skipped bathroom breaks, looked for ourselves on the jumbotron, cheered for hat tricks & fights, booed at penalties and really loved our team! By the time we knew they would make it to the Stanley cup, everyone seemed to be a fan. People who didn't even like hockey were talking about it - at work, the grocery store, church. You could stop anyone on the street and say "Go Avs" and you'd get a whoop. As we watched the final game on T.V. from Dave's loft, which happened to be in the parking lot of the Pepsi Center, we were as good as there. As the final game wrapped up and we were declared the victors, thousands of fans poured out of the stadium cheering, hugging strangers, holding already printed newspapers declaring victory - it felt like the biggest craze I had ever been a part of! We were all a part of that team. We had somehow helped the Avs win the highest honor in NHL.

Since 2001, all our teams in Denver have been struggling. Fans stop buying season tickets, the sports writers commentate bleak outcomes and enthusiasm for the sports are reserved for the die-hards. It's not as much fun to root for teams that are just so-so.

Well, hold on to your bats & ball gloves! Our Rockies are going to the World Series! Admittedly, I feel guilty that I am now one of "those fans" who is jumping on the band wagon as they are winning and playing an awesome game with as much action as baseball can have. I have been watching every game for the past 3 weeks and am so excited to be able to watch baseball in October (which hasn't happened for me in a VERY long time!)

I try to put a spiritual spin on pretty much everything that happens in my life but admittedly, this was a tough one. I mean really, we are talking about baseball here. But I couldn't help but feel that twinge of guilt - if only I could call myself a true fan... If only I had been to even 1 of their games this season. I could actually feel proud that they are my Rockies - that I am a part of what is happening down at Coors Field. But instead, I am trying to reap all the benefits of victory without any of the misery of sitting through lost games and boring 9-inning snoozers. The Rockies weren't looking so hot even 3 months ago in the midst of their season. The stands weren't full and people were losing hope of even making the play-offs.

Dear Christians, don't lose hope. We have already claimed the victory! Even though we know the outcome, we aren't exactly sure how it will all play out. Wouldn't we love to take the benefits of heaven with all that God has to offer us in eternity without the losses? It'd be great to jump on the band wagon right before Christ's return and go straight onto glory without all the spiritual struggles that plague us as believers today. It would be great to skip over the tough parts of life and move straight onto victory, but there never seems to be an easy way to winning it all. If there weren't losses, the winning would not be as sweet. Along the way of life, there will be critics and cynics, those who don't believe that victory is imminent. Don't listen to Satan and his lies, keep focused on your goals God has planted in your heart and be an active part of this life God has called you to. There is so much more joy in being a part of something huge when you are invested and know all the pain and struggles it took to get here. Be thrilled, for the journey is part of the victory!

Play ball! Go Rockies!
(If I'm too corny today - I apologize)

If you give a Mom a Muffin

By Kathy Fictorie
based on "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

If you give a mom a muffin, she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it. She'll pour herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee. She'll wipe it up. Wiping the floor, she will find dirty socks. She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer, she'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer. Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger. She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With A Pound Of Hamburger.) The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail. She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook. The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old. She'll smell something funny. She'll change the two-year-old. While she is changing the two-year-old the phone will ring.

Her five-year-old will answer and hang up. She'll remember that she wants to phone a friend to come for coffee. Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup. She will pour herself some.

And chances are, if she has a cup of coffee, her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Clear Cutting

This weekend I had a chance to go to the mountains with my mom and some friends for much needed time away (and a little marathon scrapbooking...). As we drove to our destination, I soaked in the beauty of the fall colors - the contrasting golden aspens with the evergreens and the purple hues canvasing the vista. From afar, the mountainside looked magnificent. But as we looked closer and as we drove further up in elevation, we could see the devastation. Acre after acre of dead evergreens, turning red then purple. The beetles have been thriving while we've been getting rain in the Rockies. Their feast has taken its toll on over 3/4 of the mature trees that we could see. But you know what? I never saw a beetle.
God has been talking to my heart a lot about sin lately. I've been thinking about how the secret sins in my life are like the beetles. These are the sins in my heart and thoughts that gnaw at me--the envy, the pride, the selfish desires that draw me away from pursuing holiness and a closer relationship with God.
When sin creeps in and takes hold of our hearts, the change is subtle. Maybe even from a distance we still appear beautiful (well put together and in control) but as we take a closer look at the details of our lives, there is death. As long as there is sin that is allowed to have hold, there is ugliness that will hinder vibrant growth in our lives. There are parts of us that need to be clear cut so that new life can receive light and grow.
As I continued to survey the mountainside, I saw new life. Baby trees that had been growing for a few years but were apparently too little for the beetles feast on. It will take a couple of years to cut down all the dead trees throughout this mountain region. As soon as the dead trees come down, there will be room for the small trees to grow faster.
How true is that for our own lives? When we throw off the sin that so easily entangles, it allows us to see that when the Holy Spirit dwells in us there is still awesome work being done. When we clear away the distractions, we see new life and new chances to draw closer to God. What are your secret sins that are eating you alive? Identify them and do it fast. Ask God to clear away any sin that is not allowing you to pursue a holy life that brings God glory.
Be a beautiful picture of God's creation from afar and close-up.