Rivers...

Rivers: they can be so calm, refreshing, peaceful....and they can also be raging, fierce and extremely frightening!

Thankfully the ones we experienced in Colorado were refreshing!

I thought a lot about rivers then and lately. The water is always moving, never the same...and comes from an abundant source.

Sometimes I know I can feel a bit stagnant in my walk with the Lord but rivers remind me that I never have to be!

Jesus says, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within me."
John 7:37-38

There's a song that says,

"Father, your Love, flows from your Kingdom like a mighty river.
Your children come down to your banks to drink living water.
If the river wants to run, who's gonna stop it now?
Who's gonna keep those flood gates from bending?
So take this broken land and turn it in to a temple.
Light it with your fire that is unending."

How true though, when a river rages, try as we may...sometimes there is no stopping it! That's how I pray the river of life flows through me!

Another song that I love is one I used to sing a whole lot as a child, especially in the shower, hehe...

"I've got a river of life flowing out of me. Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see! Opens prisoner's doors, sets the captives free! I've got a river of life flowing out of me! Spring up a well, down in my soul! Spring up a well, splish, splash and make me whole! Spring up a well and give to me that life abundantly!"

Okay, one last favorite song about rivers by Garth Brooks...

"You know a dream is like a river, ever changing as it flows and the dreamer's just a vessel that must follow where it goes--trying to learn from what's behind him and never knowing what's in store makes each day a constant battle just to stay between the shores.

So I will sail my vessel until the river runs dry, like a bird upon the wind and these waters are my skies. I'll never reach my destination, if I never try. So I will sail my vessel until the river runs dry.

And there is bound to be rough waters and I know I'll take some falls, but with the good Lord as my captain, I can make it through them all!!"

Remember, if you feel dry...we have an unlimited source in the Jesus!! Just ask!

Happy Anniversary and The Berry Picker Trail

A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short. --Andre Maurois

I agree with this quote! We celebrated our 3 year anniversary while in Vail and had a blast! These three years have flown by and been wonderful.

The best part of this vacation is that Wade didn't have to go to work and we were able to spend all our time together for a week!

On August 9th we decided to do something different for our anniversary--take a hike!

We started at Lions Head at about 8,000 ft above sea level. (base camp shall we call it) ;) and hiked to the top of the mountain which was a little over 10,000 ft above sea level. That 2,000 ft gain was hard earned! It took us about 2.5 hours to reach the summit and over another hour to make it back down. That Gondola ride was sure looking good...but really the hike was better!

The views were beautiful!

This was definitely one of, if not the, hardest hike we've ever done. Both our heads were feeling a bit funny by the time we reached the top and we had to stop several times for small breaks and water. You can kind of tell how steep it was here in the one of the clearings we walked through.

By the time we got back down to our room, we were both beat! But you know how good it feels to be tired from playing outside all day right? Well that's how it felt! Much better than being tired from sitting at a desk all day thinking or doing "real work"

We thank the Lord for three wonderful years of marriage and pray for many many more! I couldn't ask for a better partner to be on this adventure with! Year 4 here we come!

Escaping the heat and every day grind--Colorado

This has been the hottest summer I have ever lived through! Growing up in Texas we expect summer to be hot, but 76 days (and counting) of 100+ degree days has just been unrelenting! I'm so glad we had planned an escaped to Colorado! It was just what we needed!

Our first stop was Vail, CO. We had such a beautiful view from our room and the constant droll of the river made it easy to relax.

There was a nice paved walking path that connected all the different parts of Vail.

Lions Head is one of the places that is close by. This is a beautiful little place with lots of shops, restaurants and places to sit and enjoy the views. The place where Wade is standing is actually an ice skating rink in the winter time! So fun!

The temps in Vail were in the high 70's low 80's and the trees and flowers loved that as much as us!